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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450068">Of Witches and Potions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dungeonguy88/pseuds/dungeonguy88'>dungeonguy88</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Awkwardness, Eda Still Likes Tea, Family time, Fluff and Humor, Gen, King Is Jealous, Light Angst, Lilith Trying to be Better, Luz Has Feelings, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, post-season one finale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:21:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dungeonguy88/pseuds/dungeonguy88</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eda and Lilith Clawthorne have a problem. Well, they actually have a lot of problems. But since they're not ready to deal with most of those problems, they're going to be focusing on the problem of managing a certain curse.</p><p>Things are a little bit weird in the Owl House right now. A new roommate. Interpersonal conflicts. Just about everyone living there is a fugitive from the law. It's a lot to deal with, and Lilith would much rather get started sooner, rather than later. Especially if it means she can avoid dealing with decades of lies and betrayal. And not turning into a horrific owl-beast along the way would be nice too.</p><p>Luckily, Eda happens to have an idea or two of how to deal with that. The curse that is. She's not near ready to deal with talking things out with her sister yet...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Problem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Post-Season One Finale. So, spoilers. This is your last chance to avert thy gaze.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wha's at...?”</p><p>Eda gave an unladylike snort, as her eyes crept open.</p><p>They immediately snapped back shut, as the morning light started to jab straight into them, and she tried to roll-over to escape. This might have been the third or fourth time Eda had been forced to toss-and-turn in her nest to avoid greeting the day. It was only reasonable that she would want a chance to sleep in, after the harrowing and emotionally draining events she had been through. Which made it especially vexing that the rest of the world wasn't cooperating.</p><p>She was just starting to relax again, when she heard another clatter from downstairs. She couldn't remember how many times she'd drifted back to sleep, but she knew that the noise had been edging out the daylight as a nuisance.</p><p>“Keep it down, why don'tcha?! Some of us almost got turned to stone!”</p><p>The owl-witch heard the sound of a few more thuds, before things quieted down again. Flopping back onto her back, she idly noted that she was now resting her head on one of her errant slippers, having shifted around so much in her nest. Sucking in a deep breath, the slipper revealed that it was still more in the salty levels of body odor, rather than anything that would keep her from sleeping.</p><p>Rolling onto her side, she idly clutched the soft footwear and closed her eyes again.</p><p>Eda wasn't sure how much more time she'd managed to eek out nestled in her bedding, but it wasn't meant to last, as the sunlight once more slunk forward. Grimacing as the inside of her eyelids lit up, she tried to scoot away from it, rolling over some old bones and trinkets. But it was to no avail, as she bumped into the edge of her nest, and realized the sun's rays were still on her face.</p><p>“Ehhhh...we'll see about that...” The Owl Lady said, more to herself, as she idly groped around before setting her hand upon an old chalice. She tried to wrack her brain to recall if she gave a crap about the thing, but the fog of sleep hadn't really lifted yet.</p><p>Giving an internal shrug, she haphazardly lifted the thing up before orienting towards the source of her annoyance. She idly recalled some human phrase that Luz liked to shout, right before tossing something, as she pulled back her arm.</p><p>“...Pete...” Eda unenthusiastically grumbled, before lobbing the cup.</p><p>She was greeted by the sound of shattering glass and the tinkling of shards on the floor of her room, causing her to jolt all the way up into consciousness. Wincing, she let out a groan, before trying to cover her sensitive eyes to the brightly shining sunlight.</p><p>“Right...smashing windows doesn't stop light coming through...noted.” The witch glumly noted to herself.</p><p>Rubbing away at her forehead to try to preempt any sort of headache that might creep in, Eda idly held out a finger before drawing a circle in the air. She had to blink in surprise, as she heard a fizzling sound and realized that the window wasn't fixing itself by way of her magic.</p><p>“Oh, right...” Eda said, recalling now the recent events that had sapped away at her magic. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced between her finger and the window again, before letting out a sigh “No point in crying about spilt magic, I guess.”</p><p>Closing her eyes for a moment, she rolled her neck and listened for the sound of bones popping into their proper places. Capping that off by stretching her arms out as far as she could, before slumping against the edge of her nest, she heard the crack of a few more bones. Thankfully, they weren't hers, but rather that of some long desiccated woodland critter that she'd tossed into her nest on one of her weirder nights.</p><p>“Can't stay in here all day...” Eda said aloud, before idly reaching over with her bare foot towards her loose slipper.</p><p>Letting out one more yawn, she slowly clambered up onto her feet, before giving another roll of her neck. She wasn't sure if she was just getting old, it was a result of nearly being petrified, or if it was her tendency to constantly detach her limbs, but she was feeling stiff. Slumping forward, she scratched at her backside without any thought, before clambering up-and-out of her nest. Pausing out of reflex she glanced to her bedside table expecting to see her curse suppressing elixir, before tapping herself on the forehead.</p><p>“Ugggh!...You need to get some caffeine in you...” Eda said to herself, before sidestepping her booby trap and staggering towards the door. Despite standing well clear of the demon-trap, she still heard it snap its teeth together.</p><p>“Hey...you just gonna leave this mess for someone else to clean-up?” The little demon grumbled up at her.</p><p>“Why do you care? You don't even pay rent.” The Owl Lady replied, without even sparing a glance to her guardian.</p><p>“Who would pay rent on this dump?” The living trap griped, before trundling off.</p><p>“Mehhh...” Eda muttered back, still not quite conscious enough for her usual banter.</p><p>Hearing another clattering noise coming from downstairs, she was reminded that she was quite capable of fixing that. Something warm to drink and a bit of food would probably do wonders for her, as it usually did. The only sour note being that she was sure she'd come up with a great comeback for her belligerent demon-trap by the time she made it downstairs.</p><p>All the same, she staggered out through her bedroom doors with another yawn, before navigating her way through her home. Closing her eyes again, she didn't even bother looking, knowing her home well-enough to make it to the kitchen blind.</p><p>She distantly heard the sound of voices, as she made her way down the stairs, though not distinctly enough to hear what was being said. That, along with the sound of clattering glass and the opening and closing of cabinets easily lead her to the kitchen.<br/>
<br/>
Passing through the archway, Eda gave one last stretch before letting out her heaviest yawn yet, intent on getting the last of it out of her system. Finally opening her eyes, she took in the sight of her eclectic family once more.</p><p>“What the heck is going on in here?!”</p><p>It looked as if half the shelves in her kitchen had seen their contents deposited onto the floor, in some rushed form of organization. There was her sister, the presumed culprit rummaging around through one of her chests. A task Lilith only paused in, as she pulled out an old bottle before adding it to the counter with an increasingly large pile of glassware and other accouterments.</p><p>Looking across her upended home, Eda eventually found her eyes landing on Luz and King innocently sitting at the kitchen table.</p><p>It was King, sitting in his high-chair and propping his chin up on his hand, that eventually spoke up.</p><p>“Waiting on Lilith to make breakfast.” The little demon said in a too matter-of-fact manner for the Owl Lady's liking, as he tapped his fingers away.</p><p>“I have told you, multiple times now, that I am not making breakfast.” Lilith sternly commented, barely sparing a glance at King's comment. Placing a hand on her hip, she looked over, before gesturing to the counter “Is this all your glassware, Edalyn?”</p><p>“No. I left some glassware out on the front lawn too. Just need a dustpan to go get it.” The owl-witch dryly noted, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.</p><p>“Was that what that was?” Luz innocently asked from the side, her gaze trailing after her mentor as she trudged into the kitchen.</p><p>“No, that was the sound of a chalice going through a window.” Eda replied, before using her foot to drag over a stool by the kitchen table and slumping back into it.</p><p>“You threw a <em>chalice</em> through a window?” Lilith asked, the disbelief and disapproval already apparent in her tone.</p><p>“...It might have been a grail.”</p><p>The elder sister stared in consternation for a moment, before letting out a long-suffering sigh, and turning back towards the counter “I'll just add it to the list...”</p><p>“Great, now there's a list.” Eda grumbled, as she leaned back against the edge of the table and closed her eyes again. Not looking over, she held up a finger “While you're tearing up my home, ya mind putting the kettle on?”</p><p>“It's good you're finally awake, sister.” Lilith blithely noted, as she finished jotting something down on a bit of parchment. Picking it up, she openly scrutinized it, as she walked over to where the others were gathered “I could really use some insights into your organizational system here?”</p><p>“My organi-what's-it now? Ugggh...it's too early for this.” Eda grumbled, as she brought a hand up to massage at her scalp.</p><p>“It's not early at all, Edalyn.” Lilith pointedly said with an arch of her eyebrow.</p><p>“Then what's she still doing here?” The younger sister countered, before jerking her thumb over to Luz. Turning to address her apprentice “Shouldn't you already be on the way to school?”</p><p>“Principal Bump gave me the day off.” Luz said very matter-of-factly.</p><p>“What? Since when?”</p><p>“Since this little guy showed up.” The witch's apprentice eagerly chirped, before reaching down, and bringing up something clasped in her hands. Setting her hands on the table, revealed what looked to be a tiny Abomination, which soon gaped upwards before rolling onto the table.</p><p>“I found him knocking on one of the windows this morning.” Luz happily explained, as she gave the magical construct a light poke of her finger. Giving a little burble, the tiny Abomination seemed to form a pair of legs to stand up on to look up at Luz “He's kinda cute.”</p><p>“He's precious.” Eda unenthusiastically replied.</p><p>“Yeah, I didn't think you could make an Abomination this small.” Not at all dissuaded by her mentor's grumpiness, Luz gave the little guy a tap on his jelly-belly.</p><p>“A Homunculus.” Lilith sagely noted from the side, for the girl's benefit.</p><p>“A what now?” Luz asked</p><p>“A homunculus. A special subtype of Abomination. You were correct in that regard.” Lilith helpfully explained, as she brought a hand to her chin and leaned in. Examining it briefly, as it gaped up at her, she leaned back before turning to Luz “They're often used by witches as assistants, or messengers in this case. They can typically deal with slightly more complicated tasks than your average Abomination.”</p><p>“Oh, that's so cute! I can just imagine a bunch of these little guys helping out around here and tidying up. We could even give them little uniforms!” Luz exclaimed, as she brought her hands to her cheeks in excitement.</p><p>“Interesting...” King noted from the side, rubbing at his chin in thought. Climbing out of his high-chair and onto the table he looked down upon the diminutive servant “So, you're saying we could have our own slave army...”</p><p>“That is not remotely what I'm saying.” The older witch sternly noted, before gesturing to the idle blob creature “And you wouldn't be the first to think of that idea. It has never ended well.”</p><p>“How do you mean?” Luz innocently asked, before playfully tapping her fingers around the tiny Abomination “Surely, this sweet little guy couldn't get up to too much trouble.”</p><p>“Homunculi can be...temperamental.” Lilith explained, while gesturing to the creature. Looking back towards the resident human “The same thing that lets them tackle more complex issues, also gives them a corresponding degree of independence. A result of its creator endowing it with a portion of their soul.”</p><p>“A portion of their-...Hold up.” Luz exclaimed, looking up in amazement before holding up her hands and gesturing to her newest friend “So, you're saying Principal Bump put part of his <em>soul </em>in there?”</p><p>“It's not as dramatic as you're thinking. The soul is not a singular object that one merely chips parts off of.” The former coven leader reassured.</p><p>“How do you mean?”</p><p>“For witches at least, the soul is more akin to a flame. It waxes and wanes, it can be smothered and it can have fuel added to it.” Lilith lectured, not unlike any other teacher. Holding out her hands, as if she were cupping a fire “Something as simple as creating a homunculi is comparable to...using a spark to light a candle.”</p><p>“I think I get it. If all you're doing is taking a small spark from it...” Luz reasoned.</p><p>“Precisely. Taking away a small portion hardly has any effect on the witch...” Lilith finished for her, briefly pausing to draw a circle with her finger. Her eyes widened in recollection, as the spell fizzled, earning a small frown from the elder witch. Letting out a sigh, she set those feelings aside, before gesturing back towards Luz.</p><p>“...Well, you get the idea, I think. Most homunculi are small and simple, and aren't much of a drain on a witch. However, the larger the homunculi, the more of a spark it needs. And the more willful they tend to become.”</p><p>“Speaking of sparks, where are we on that kettle?” Eda asked from the side, looking quite thoroughly bored.</p><p>“Of course you wouldn't want to pay attention to that part.” Lilith replied with a roll of her eyes.</p><p>“Hey! You're the one that couldn't defend your own lunch money!” Eda countered, pointing accusingly up at her sister. Snapping her fingers, the Owl Lady turned and pointed towards her apprentice “And tell me again why you aren't learning all this in school?”</p><p>“Oh, right!” Luz chirped, before turning her attention back to the table. Thankfully, the small magical construct hadn't wandered far, and seemed to have settled for simply staring up at King with its mouth hanging open.</p><p>“That guy's a little weirdo.” King observed, as Luz got the tiny Abomination's attention and started to herd it closer towards Eda.</p><p>“Pot calling the kettle black there.” Eda noted, with an aside look towards the skull-wearing demon. Though it was Lilith that the comment got more of a reaction out of, as she ran her hands through her hair, before letting out a frustrated grunt.</p><p>“Oh, for the-...I will put on your kettle!”</p><p>“Thank you, Lils!” The younger sister called over with a saccharine tone and a smile, before letting her face drop back into its earlier grumpiness.</p><p>“Ok, pequeño. Tell Eda what you told me.” The Owl Lady turned back, as Luz finished scooting the homunculus over. The little blob monster looked up dumbly at Eda, before turning to look back to Luz questioningly.</p><p>“Awww, I think he's shy!” Luz exclaimed, clasping her cheeks between her hands and beaming down at him.</p><p>“Yeah, well, I think he's defective.” Griped Eda, as she peered down through half-lidded eyes, before reaching over and lightly flicking it in the head with her fingers.</p><p>This did earn a small frown of disapproval from her apprentice, as the homunculus' gooey head seemed to fold back in on itself from the force of the flick. But it soon seemed to bounce back into its shape, before again peering up at Eda. After another couple of awkward seconds, it reached out its stubby arm towards the area of its head where one might expect a mouth. Seeming to take a hold of its own goo, it soon stretched its own face open till a small hole formed in the approximate shape of a mouth.</p><p>“Ah, there we go.” Eda said after a moment, more to herself than anyone “Just needed to show who's boss.”</p><p>Sure enough, the tiny Abomination gave out a wet croak, followed by a sound that was suspiciously close to static.</p><p>Hzzzt!</p><p>“Good morning, Luz. I hope this message finds you well!”</p><p>Sure enough, it was Principal Bump's upbeat, but reserved voice echoing up from the creature. The homunculus seemed to fidget and look between the members of its audience, as it continued to hold open its mouth and play its message.</p><p>“Given recent events, I imagine you need to take some time to get your affairs in order. Thwarting an execution and making a personal enemy of the Emperor can be quite stressful, I understand. I've already taken the liberty of excusing you from your classes today. And I'll be sure to send someone to bring you today's assignments at the end of the day. If you need more time, feel free to use this to get in contact with me. Just remember to let it know it did a good job and be sure to give it a treat or two.</p><p>“Oh, so he gets treats, but I don't get breakfast?” King exclaimed, as he gestured to the mini-Abomination, earning yet another look of annoyance from Lilith and a shushing gesture from Luz.</p><p>“All I ask is that you don't fall behind in your schoolwork. Your guardian may have transformed into a horrifying owl-beast, but these things happen.” The homunculi seemed to shift from one foot to the other, as its message continued, turning towards whoever spoke.</p><p>“Awwww, you can really tell he cares.” Eda dryly noted, before her ears perked up as the message continued.</p><p>“Incidentally, Beast Keeping has come into a surplus of birdseed. I'm not sure what exactly Edalyn eats now, but I can put you in contact with the head of the track, if you'd like.”</p><p>“Ok, now that just feels like he's taking a jab at me.” The owl-witch pointed out.</p><p>“I hope to see you in school again soon, Luz...Alright, you know how to get there, right?” Principal Bump's calm, professionally delivered tone soon trailed off, before turning into a more conversational tone “...Nod once if you understand how to get to Edalyn's shack...”</p><p>Luz pursed her lips, and let her gaze wander as the message continued to ramble on, having apparently already heard it all before. Eda followed suit, as she soon started tapping her fingers on the table, waiting for the message to wrap-up.</p><p>“...Hold on. Are you still recording?...Don't just stare at me like that. Stop recording...How do I get this to-...if you want your treat, you'll stop recording right-”</p><p>Hzzzt!</p><p>Letting out a small burble, the little messenger retracted its arms back, before letting its mouth glob itself shut once more. Seemingly satisfied that it had completed its task again, it plopped over backwards, before staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>“Well, at least Principal Bump is still on top of things.” Lilith noted, as she came back to stand beside the kitchen table once more. Crossing her arms, she gave a tilt of her head “It's just as well for Luz to stay out of school today.”</p><p>“Just as well?! After all the work I went into getting her into Hexside?” Eda angrily countered, before crossing her own arms and giving a huff “I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Bump's looking to shirk his responsibilities to his students.”</p><p>“Isn't Luz supposed to be <em>your</em> apprentice?” King pointed out from the side.</p><p>“Oh, shut your trap. Like I don't know that...” The Owl Lady said with a pout, before a moment of realization visibly struck her. Snapping her fingers and banging her fist on the table in frustration “Dang it! That's what I should have said to that little freeloader!”</p><p>“Are you still talking about me?” The little demon asked, pointing towards himself.</p><p>“Different freeloader.”</p><p>“Is the little guy going to be alright? I think he tuckered himself out...” Luz said, more concerned about the state of her newest little friend, as she watched it continue to dully stare up at the ceiling.</p><p>“It should recover in a few minutes.” Lilith reassured, similarly disinterested in the bickering going on between her sister and King. Gesturing a hand towards the blob monster on the table “That display simply drained its limited reserves of magic and it needs a moment to rest. It's just being a little dramatic about it.”</p><p>“So...homunculi can sort of do magic then?” The human chimed up to the older witch, her curiosity ignited.</p><p>“After a fashion...” Lilith hedged for a moment, bringing her hand to her chin as she looked for the words “...they can more serve as...limited conduits for magic. Assistants.”</p><p>“Kinda like Palismans, then?”</p><p>“I-...I hadn't thought of it like that.” The former coven head admitted after a moment's thought, giving a small shrug “I suppose there are some similarities...”</p><p>“Are you kidding me? Are you really comparing that thing to my Owlbert?” Asked Eda from the side, with obvious skepticism.</p><p>“Obviously, the processes are very different. But the goals are essentially the same.” Lilith pointed out, clearly still pondering the idea. Holding out a hand, she gestured to the little blob monster “Creating a magically-attuned servant with a tie to particular witch. In theory, it's plausible."</p><p>“So, you're saying this little fella could be my very own Palisman?!” Luz exclaimed excitedly, rising to her feet, as she placed both hands on the kitchen table.</p><p>“Well...perhaps not this one in particular.” The elder witch hedged, before looking back down to the homunculus. The little blob creature seemed to have gained a bit of its energy back and was now lazily turning to look towards whoever was speaking “You would need an expert in the field of Abominations just to even see if it could work.”</p><p>“Huh. Maybe you could get your little friend Amity to help out with this little project.” Eda offered up, before crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair again, her eyes closed.</p><p>“That's a great idea!”</p><p>“Yeah, maybe you two could even get matching Palismans. Bet she'd love that.” The Owl Lady drawled without looking over.</p><p>“You think so? Oh, that would be so cool!” Luz continued to gush at the prospect.</p><p>“Super-cool...”</p><p>“Hold on, Amity Blight?” Lilith eventually asked, her gaze wandering between the two other witches at the table.</p><p>“That's the one.” Eda idly confirmed, with a wave of her hand.</p><p>“Oh, that's right. I guess you wouldn't have heard.” Luz said after that, recalling now that Lilith wouldn't be privy to her newfound friendship with the scion of House Blight “Things were a bit rocky after the convention, but we've become really good friends since!”</p><p>“Yep, they even went to Grom together. Quite a night that was.”</p><p>“I see...” Lilith eventually said, giving a couple of nods as things were explained to her. Looking to the ceiling briefly in thought, she gave a shrug “Well, everything I know about Ms. Blight tells me that she could probably be of help in something like this.”</p><p>“This is gonna be so cool...” Luz said to herself in a quieter, though no less jubilant tone, as she clasped her hands in front of her. Leaning over the gooey creation, she gave it a light tap on its belly “Whaddya say, pequeño? You wanna be a Palisman?”</p><p>As if in response, a particularly large bubble seemed to rise up out of its body, before giving a silent pop. Of course, that was just about the only response as the tiny construct just stared up at the human otherwise.</p><p>“Awwww...I think I'll call you Goobert.” Luz declared happily, before scooping Goobert up in her palms again.</p><p>“Little derivative, but have at it, kid.” Eda said with another wave of her hand.</p><p>“Great. Another mouth to feed.” King groused, as he watched on from the side, his mood evidently soured at the sight of Luz fawning over her newest friend. Letting his grimace drop, he turned to look back up towards Lilith “You better get working on that soon, Lilith.”</p><p>Lilith merely pursed her lips and glared down at the half-pint demon this time.</p><p>“Hint-hint. You get what I'm driving at, Lilith?” The demon blithely prodded, prompting a full-blown scowl from the witch.</p><p>“You're swimming against the current here, Lils.” Eda noted from the side, cracking one of her eyes open to watch her sister start to massage her brow in frustration.</p><p>“Alright, fine. I will make breakfast...” Lilith eventually growled out, before taking in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she turned her attention back to her sister, before pointing a finger at her “But you have to promise we'll have a serious conversation about what we're doing next afterwards.”</p><p>“Fine, fine...I promise, we'll talk about whatever you want after breakfast.” Eda waved off her sister, before holding up three fingers as a sign of the promise. Closing her eye again and leaning back, she idly pointed across the kitchen “Eggs are in the fridge.”</p><p>“What kind of eggs?” King asked from the side.</p><p>“How should I know?” The Owl Lady said, shrugging at the question where she was leaned against the kitchen table.</p><p>“Alright...eggs it is.” Lilith rolled her eyes before slumping over a bit. Letting out a puff of air, she straightened back up before marching towards the cooking area “I suppose if we're going to get much done today, we should at least eat something.”</p><p>“That's the spirit.” Her younger sister added.</p><p>“Oh, I can heeeeee-...” Luz started before awkwardly trailing off, not quite out of her seat. There hung an awkward moment over the kitchen, as Lilith looked back with her mismatched eyes towards Luz.</p><p>Just in these last few minutes, things had almost felt normal, like these were the kinds of conversations they had everyday. Nothing really felt out of place about any of it. Until Luz looked eye-to-eye with the older witch, and everything was suddenly placed back in context. This was all very not-normal. Lilith wasn't normally a part of this odd sort of morning routine of bickering and chatting. And for a whole host of reasons that Luz was now painfully aware of.</p><p>“It's alright. I can manage.” The former coven head said easily, though something in how she looked towards the young human told Luz that she understood what was going through her mind.</p><p>Luz looked down to Goobert, still held in her hand, before uncomfortably sitting the rest of the way back into her seat. After a moment's thought, she set Goobert back on the table, before watching him wander over to stare up at King again.</p><p>Somehow, she felt bad about her reaction.</p><p>Which was confusing, as it would have been entirely reasonable for Luz to be not-quite-ready to accept Lilith, after everything that had happened, she realized. From taking her hostage and fighting Eda, using her to drive Eda into succumbing to the curse. A curse that Lilith had put on her sister for petty reasons, and then used as her excuse to hunt Eda for years, on behalf of the Emperor.</p><p>Lilith was trying, she could acknowledge that.</p><p>But it hadn't even been a full day since they'd been fighting each other for their lives and Eda's. Luz knew that most people considered her upbeat and quick to forgive, and it wasn't like that wasn't the kind of person she wanted to be. But this was a lot. She couldn't just let Lilith glob into her life and fill a role, like it was always meant to be. Could she?</p><p>For once, Luz kind of wished that it wasn't her being awkward and weird. That was normally her wheelhouse, but this time felt different.</p><p>She wasn't even entirely sure that this was even still a thing for everyone else, that it was also bothering them and they might want to talk about it. Eda looked like she might have fallen half-asleep again, in the last couple of minutes. King seemed to simply be staring down Goobert, in a decidedly adorable attempt at asserting dominance over the blob creature.</p><p>Meanwhile, Lilith...</p><p>Luz had to furrow her brow, as she watched the older witch methodically going to work in the kitchen, gathering up dishes, cooking utensils, and foodstuffs like it was her only thought in the world. Looking at her from the side, Lilith didn't seem to have any particular expression, despite previously being annoyed with getting saddled with the task. She was just focused.</p><p>Luz had to wonder if maybe that was how Lilith was dealing with all of this. Putting all of her thoughts on being productive, instead of dealing with the same things Luz was struggling to come to terms with.</p><p>It made a certain amount of sense, she realized.</p><p>Lilith did seem like the sort to always focus on her work, even before everything that had just happened with Emperor Belos. The older witch's face remained calm and neutral as she moved dishes around, started frying eggs, and dividing up her efforts to start toasting some bread she had found. It was almost mechanical. It stood in a contrast to her memories of her mama's cooking, wherein most of the time she was happy to chat and involve Luz.</p><p>Of course, trying to layer her thoughts of her mother over Lilith just raised a whole bunch of other feelings Luz wasn't ready to approach.</p><p>But Lilith did remind her now of her mother on the days when they were behind or her mama was stressed and couldn't really put her mind to anything other than dealing with the next issue. It made Luz wonder if perhaps she should say something, maybe she should just put her feelings out there and they could all deal with it. Granted, Eda seemed perfectly content with how things were for the moment. And King, well, she couldn't always tell when something actually was bothering King.</p><p>But if it was really bothering Luz and it was really bothering Lilith, maybe-</p><p>“No standing on the table during meals.”</p><p>Luz blinked as she was broken from her thoughts, turning her gaze up to see Lilith standing by the table now, two plates of food in hand. She'd really spaced out there, she was realizing. Somewhere along the line, Lilith had finished cooking and was now staring down King, as he planted his feet on the kitchen table.</p><p>“Alright, you're new here, lady. So it's time we started to lay down some ground rules.” King haughtily declared, before crossing his little arms and turning up his nose. Uncrossing his arms, he pointed down to where he was standing “First of all, there's a certain chain-of-command here and-”</p><p>“Sit down in your chair, or you don't eat.” Lilith bluntly cut him off, very apparently unimpressed.</p><p>“What?! But you already cooked it!” King immediately objected, looking a bit panicked at the thought of being so close to his breakfast only to lose it.</p><p>“Get off the table, King.” Eda grumbled from the side, not bothering to open her eyes.</p><p>“But, I- What about the chain-of-command?!” King plaintively asked, his voice going shrill as he held out his arms “Without a hierarchy in place, it'll be pure anarchy!”</p><p>“Fine...” The owl witch grunted, before leaning up and opening her eyes, and jerking a thumb to herself “It goes me, then Lilith, then Luz, Hooty, and then you. There's your hierarchy.”</p><p>“How does Hooty have more authority than me?!” The little demon demanded.</p><p>“He runs security.”</p><p>King's face fell at that, as he slumped forward, realizing he didn't really have a good counter-argument for that. Clearly sulking, his gaze wandered over towards Goobert “So, the only person I'm in charge of is Goobert?”</p><p>“Keep it up, and Goobert might be in for a promotion.”</p><p>“But I have seniority! What kind of precedent is that setting, where-”</p><p>“King! Just sit in your chair and eat your breakfast!” Eda finally snapped, before brusquely pointing towards the demon's high-chair. Taking a breath, the Owl Lady rubbed at her brow for a second “Geez, I haven't even had my tea yet, alright...”</p><p>Luz watched all of this with wide-eyed surprise. Maybe everything that had happened was bothering Eda more than she let on too.</p><p>“...Fine.” King eventually conceded, his shoulders slumped, as he marched back over and clambered back into his high-chair.</p><p>Eda gave a look that told Luz that she might have wanted to say something after her outburst, whether to smooth things over or not, she wasn't sure. But Lilith soon was setting down a plate of what seemed to be fried eggs and toast, which was soon accompanied by the sound of clattering eating utensils.</p><p>“Alright, enjoy.” The older sister tersely, if politely told the skull-clad demon. She was already moving to step to the other side of the table with the second plate, as King turned a critical eye to his breakfast.</p><p>“This isn't how Eda usually makes eggs.”</p><p>“I'll keep that in mind.” Lilith replied without missing a beat, as she moved to place the second plate in front of Luz. Soon, the witch followed up as before, setting a fork and a not-particularly-sharp knife beside the plate for her “Here you go, Luz.”</p><p>“...Thanks!” Luz blurted out a little bit too loudly, perhaps dealing with a little too much tension in the air. Freezing briefly, the young human bunched up her shoulders as she met the mismatched and surprised gaze of the pale witch “I mean...thank you.”</p><p>There lingered another few moments of awkwardness, as Lilith looked down, seemingly trying to keep from betraying any of her own thoughts. Clearing her throat, she broke the tension by giving Luz a small nod.</p><p>“It's no problem.”</p><p>The whole air of the room seemed to have shifted once more, not quite being tense, but still not quite as comfortable as it was before. Neither of the two older witches in the room seem interested in addressing it, as Lilith stepped back over to the cooking area to retrieve Eda's own food. Goobert seemed to have contented himself with walking in a small circle on the table, while staring at his feet.</p><p>Which mostly just left King, looking down at his breakfast, seemingly considering how he was going to approach it.</p><p>“Hnnn...” The supposed King of Demons mumbled as he lightly prodded at his fried eggs with a fork.</p><p>Glancing down at her own plate, Luz soon realized she had an opportunity to get people talking again and hopefully lighten the mood. Taking her toast, she soon tore off a piece and set down the rest of it, before taking up her fork.</p><p>“Here, King, try it like this.” Luz called over with a grin, as she cut up a piece of her eggs and let the yolk flow out. She soon dabbed at the yolk with her toast, before putting her bit of egg onto it. Popping the little combo into her mouth, she gave a hum of pleasure, before giving another smile for the demon “Try it! I'm pretty sure you'll like it!”</p><p>Luz idly caught from the corner of her eye the sight of Lilith glancing over towards her. She briefly wondered if the older witch had been pleased by her reaction to the simple breakfast or if it was something else. It seemed like simple good manners to be nice about the food; she couldn't just be rude about something as simple as that, could she? And there was nothing wrong with the food, so wouldn't she just be creating a problem that didn't need to be there?</p><p>It was probably going to be a long time, before Luz was entirely comfortable having Lilith around. Left with that thought, she turned back towards her little demon friend.</p><p>King seemed to consider Luz' advice for a second, humming to himself before pulling off his own piece of toast and moving to follow her example. Seeing the encouraging smile being sent his way by his favorite human, he jammed his toast into his eggs in a messier fashion, before taking a bite.</p><p>“Hmmmm...Huh. Not bad.” King eventually noted, before giving another, more positive look to his breakfast “Who'd have thought that making the eggs bleed would make it better?”</p><p>“I'm glad it meets with your approval.” Lilith dryly noted, as she brought over a bowl to Eda, presumably filled with the latter's own breakfast.</p><p>“I wouldn't get ahead of yourself, sister! You're still on thin ice!” King loudly declared, brandishing his fork at the pale witch. It was after a couple of moments of this, that he then jammed his fork into his food “But ya make decent eggs.”</p><p>Lilith simply rolled her eyes at this, before passing her sister the bowl of waiting breakfast food.</p><p>“Thanks.” Eda tiredly mumbled, before she started to messily shovel her eggs onto one of her two pieces of toast.</p><p>“I'll have your tea in a second.”</p><p>“Uh-huh.” The owl witch nodded, before folding her toast around her eggs and shoving the whole assembly into her mouth. She even outpaced the normally fast-eating King, as she finished off most of her eggs and a piece of toast in two bites. By the time Lilith meandered back over, Eda was mopping up the spilled yolk in her bowl with the other piece of toast.</p><p>“I checked and it looks like you're running low on appleblood.” Lilith easily noted, before passing Eda her steaming mug.</p><p>“I guess we'll add that to the list then.” Eda noted, before finishing off her toast and setting her bowl on the table. Reaching out, she eagerly took her mug before bringing it in and inhaling deeply.</p><p>“Ahhhhh...” Eda let out a long sigh, before taking a full sip “Come to mama.”</p><p>The quiet that followed was a decidedly more comfortable one than before, or so Luz thought anyway. With the sound of clattering forks, food being gobbled up, and Eda slowly savoring her morning drink, it lacked some of the emotional heaviness from before. There was a pleasant, busy peace to them all sitting together and enjoying breakfast. Even Lilith wandered back over, holding a small plate of toast with egg on top, to eat with the group.</p><p>Her mood buoyed by the pleasant atmosphere, Luz was quicker to get up from her seat, when it looked like Lilith was getting ready to collect everyone's dishes.</p><p>“I can take care of it.” Luz easily declared, as she quickly started darting around the table to collect the plates, silverware, and so on. There was a very momentary pause, right before she took the small plate Lilith was still holding with a smile.</p><p>Lilith quirked an eyebrow up at that, watching as Eda's apprentice moved to the sink to clean-up the dishes, perhaps expecting that she would have needed to take care of that herself. Shrugging internally, she turned back to her now somewhat more alert sister before bringing her hands together.</p><p>“Well, now that everybody has had something to eat, perhaps we can start addressing some pressing matters.” The former coven head offered.</p><p>“Shoot.” Eda casually replied, as she leaned back into her seat.</p><p>“...You promised to take this seriously.” Lilith pointed out.</p><p>“What? A girl can't be comfortable <em>and</em> take things seriously?”</p><p>“Alright. As long as you're paying attention...” Lilith conceded after a moment, holding up a hand to dismiss the issue “First things first...I've taken to trying to inventory your stock of magical reagents and-”</p><p>“Is that what you call it?” Eda piped in, before pointedly casting her gaze around the room to the various odds and ends that had been pulled out and stacked around. Looking back to her sister, she arched an eyebrow “I don't know if you noticed, but I kind of had a system in place.”</p><p>“Was that the system where you put things away randomly and simply hoped that you could find what you're looking for later?” Lilith retorted, her own eyebrow creeping up in response.</p><p>“Oh, so you did notice.”</p><p>“Yes.” The older witch gave a tilt of her head at that. Turning she paced out to the center of the kitchen, before gesturing to the collected jumble “I also noticed that you're critically low on most basic potions ingredients.”</p><p>“OK. No big deal. A quick trip to the market and-”</p><p>“And we get arrested.” Lilith interjected.</p><p>“Is that what you're worried about?” Eda asked with evident surprise. Finally standing up, she gave one last roll of her neck, before gesturing back towards Lilith “Look, no offense...but your goons spent years trying to catch me before now. And that's back when they had you helping them.”</p><p>“That's also back when we both had our magic.”</p><p>“She's got a point.” King added in from the side.</p><p>“Thanks, King. What would I do without you?” Eda griped, before giving a side-eye to the little demon. Looking back to her expectant sister, she held up her hands in a surrendering motion “And fine, yes. Neither of us can really <em>do</em> magic anymore. But I've gotta few more tricks up my sleeve. We'll be fine.”</p><p>“You'll have to forgive my skepticism.”</p><p>“Not like you ever managed to catch me...”</p><p>Luz had to glance back when she heard that comment, briefly worried that things were going to take a turn at that remark. And Lilith did indeed look as if she wanted to say something in response. So, when the raven witch instead simply let out a sigh, Luz couldn't help but mirror the sentiment.</p><p>“Alright, putting aside our fugitive status <em>and</em> our limited ability to defend ourselves...” Lilith briefly summed up, she this time waited to meet Eda's gaze. Their mismatched sets of eyes looking into one another “That's all secondary to the issue of getting the supplies we need to suppress the curse.”</p><p>“Be a little more dramatic, why don't ya?”</p><p>“Edalyn, this is important!”</p><p>“Oh, will you relax! I've been managing this stupid curse for years now.” Eda jerked a thumb at her chest with that declaration, before gesturing to a pile of her alchemical tools “All I need to do is double-up on the formula, and we'll be set.”</p><p>“That's another thing, the formula you're using.” Lilith said with a nod, clasping her hands together, she pointed them towards Eda “Where do you keep it?”</p><p>“Keep it?”</p><p>“Yes. Where do you have it written down?” Lilith clarified, before gesturing to the rest of the room “If you, or even both of us, are incapacitated, it's going to be important that we have the recipe readily available.”</p><p>“That's another good point.” King again volunteered, tearing himself away from the impromptu staring contest he was having with Goobert.</p><p>“It might be good if I know how to make your elixir too, Eda.” Luz chimed in, before Eda could snipe back at the demon, as she moved to start drying off the dishes “Just in case?”</p><p>“Alright, alright...Geez, gang up on me some more.” Eda yielded at that, not being well-equipped to handle her apprentice's apparent concern for her. Letting out a sigh, she brought a finger to tap at the side of her cheek “I'm sure I have it stowed away somewhere around here...”</p><p>“Is this your system at work?” Lilith asked, as she crossed her arms.</p><p>“As a matter-of-fact, it is!” Eda declared with no small amount of confidence, before holding up the same finger from before and drawing a small circle in the air. It was only after she heard the sound of fizzling magic that she recalled her circumstances “Oh, fart. I forgot about that.”</p><p>“We're both going to turn into monsters...” The raven witch lamented, as she rubbed at her forehead.</p><p>“Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. It's around here somewhere.” Eda said with a shrug, as she wandered over to one of the piles of old books and scrolls Lilith had pulled out “I'd probably have already found it if you hadn't pulled everything out...”</p><p>“I'm sure...”</p><p>“I mean, don't help or anything. Just leave it all to-”</p><p>“Is this it here?” Luz chimed in from the side, setting down the last of the dried dishes, as she leaned in over the counter to ogle something on the side of the fridge.</p><p>“What's that now?” Her mentor asked, as she wandered over to see what her apprentice had found. And sure enough, there was a small, slightly burnt sheaf of papers held to the side of the appliance with an old magnet from the Human Realm.</p><p>“Ah, here we go! Told ya I'd find it eventually.” Eda excitedly crowed, as she pulled the small stack of worn down notes from their spot, letting the magnet fall to the counter. Walking over, she waved them under Lilith's nose briefly “There ya go, my collected alchemical knowledge from over the years. Enjoy.”</p><p>“Uh-huh...” Lilith said in reply, not nearly as enthusiastic as her sister as she took the collection of papers from her sister. Thumbing through them briefly, she turned a skeptical eye up towards Eda “These are your formulae?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah. There a problem?”</p><p>“It looks like you tore these out of an old Potions textbook...” Lilith noted, as much to herself as to those around her, before pulling apart a couple of pages and looking up “...and how are the pages both burnt <em>and</em> damp?”</p><p>“Eh, it's not like I really needed anything out of that stuff anyway.” Eda waved the issues away, before bringing a finger up to tap at the side of her head “A real Potions expert keeps all the important details up here.”</p><p>“No, a real Potions expert checks her work and checks it twice.” The raven witch countered in a tone that told anyone that they'd been over this topic before.</p><p>“Whatever. Ya got your formula. I'mma go get a change of clothes.” The younger of the two said, as she moved to leave the kitchen.</p><p>“Hold on, Edalyn. We still have things to-...” Lilith drew to a pause as she pulled out the last page from the small collection of recipes and let her eyes wander over it “...Wait. Is this the formula you've been using to suppress the curse?”</p><p>“Ugggh! What is it now?” Eda grumbled, as she held out her arms and asked the ceiling.</p><p>“This formula isn't strong enough for your curse, Edalyn!” Lilith exclaimed, slapping her fingers against the page, as she looked back to her sister.</p><p>“Worked well enough before.”</p><p>“It clearly didn't! This- This elixir isn't even meant for long-term use!” The pale witch tried to explain, as she stepped over and showed Eda the page. Pointing at a part at the bottom “There are a host of side-effects that can happen with repeated use!”</p><p>“What kind of side-effects?” Luz asked with apparent concern.</p><p>“Oh!...Come on! Don't go scarin' the kid like that, Lils!” Eda said, before pushing the page against Lilith's chest. Jerking a thumb to her own chest now “Like I said, I've been using this elixir for years! And I haven't noticed any side-effects.”</p><p>“Really? No side-effects at all then?” Lilith replied, resting her hands on her hips and leaning forward with obvious skepticism. Bringing the page back up, she perused the bottom section again “So, you haven't been dealing with...chronic fatigue?”</p><p>“You do take a lot of naps.” King pointed out.</p><p>“I'm a busy woman. I get tired.” The owl witch countered with a shrug.</p><p>“Alright, then...irritability and mood swings?” The elder witch offered next.</p><p>“Oh, that's a big check!” The demon again exclaimed, with an audible grin, earning an annoyed look from Eda.</p><p>“Is this because I snapped at you earlier?”</p><p>“Loss of pigmentation?” Lilith pressed on, without waiting for Eda to come up with an excuse.</p><p>“A lady can't get a few gray hairs as she gets older?” Eda retorted, before running a hand through her hair.</p><p>“Spontaneous. Detaching. Of. Limbs.”</p><p>There was a moment of silence over the group, as that last one sank in.</p><p>“I mean...they go right back on.” Eda tried to defend, as she glanced off to the side and held up her hands to demonstrate. Her argument was badly undermined, when one of her hands took that very moment to pop loose, and quietly thud to the floor.</p><p>“Huh...I'd always wondered about that.” King admitted, as he stared down at the fallen appendage.</p><p>“Alright, fine! Maybe there are a few side-effects...” Eda grumpily conceded, as she reached down and scooped up her fallen hand. Audibly popping it back into place onto her wrist, she gave it a few flexes before turning back to Lilith “...but I can manage them.”</p><p>“That's not the only problem, Edalyn...” Lilith said, as she let out a sigh and rubbed at her forehead. Stepping to the side, she set the sheaf of paper on the kitchen table, before leaning on it and turning to her sister “...this elixir isn't made for long-term usage.”</p><p>“I know! You made that very clear with your list of side-effects.”</p><p>“That's not what I meant. This elixir loses its effectiveness against a given curse the longer you use it...” Lilith clarified, before turning back towards Eda and crossing her arms “...how many of these a week were you taking before now?”</p><p>Eda's face visibly tightened at that question, the answer fairly apparent without her needing to put it to words. Her elixir had been losing its effectiveness for some time now.</p><p>“Titan's bones, this isn't going to be enough, Edalyn. If we don't find something, you're just going to succumb to your-...” Lilith's words trailed off, tinged as they were in desperation and worry, as the thought visibly occurred to her. Her head hanging, she leaned against the table and stared off without really looking at anything “...you'll succumb to <em>my</em> curse. Again.”</p><p>“Our curse.”</p><p>Eda replied so quickly, so easily, there was no time for the moment to even sink in it seemed. Her words so completely poked a hole into the moment, Lilith very visibly didn't seem to know how to react, visibly just staring ahead for a few seconds. Blinking away her shock at those casually delivered words, she turned back to look at her sister.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“It's our curse, now.” Eda said with a tilt of her head and a shrug. Glancing off to the side, before turning back to meet her sister's mismatched eyes “So, we might as well start acting like it, Lils.”</p><p>Once more, Lilith seemed to be at a loss of words, helpless before the casual declaration from the sister she had so wronged so long ago. Visibly holding back whatever inner turmoil was twisting in side of her, the older sister settled for looking to the side, biting her lip, and clenching her fists. After a few seconds, she seemed to internally compose herself, her body not quite relaxing though. Her arms hanging at her side, the raven witch didn't seem like she could really meet her sister's gaze just then.</p><p>“Right...Our curse.” Lilith eventually agreed, her own feelings still visibly settling down. Letting out a sigh, she eventually was able to look back to Eda with some resolve.</p><p>“Hold on a sec.” King exclaimed from the side, as he clambered out of his high-chair and hopped back over to the table. Side-stepping Goobert, he walked over before pointing up a paw at Lilith “Wasn't that weird spell you cast supposed to deal with all of this?”</p><p>“The spell I used just let's us share the burden of the curse, it doesn't undo it.” Lilith replied, clasping her hands in front of her.</p><p>“But if you're sharing the curse now, shouldn't that mean you have like...years to deal with it again?” King asked, while holding out his arms.</p><p>“Unfortunately, no. The spell isn't really meant to address ongoing problems like curses.”</p><p>“How do you mean?” Luz asked, ever curious about magic.</p><p>“It's really only meant to address injuries and ailments. It doesn't actually do anything about the source of the problem, only the results.”</p><p>“Soooo...you were able to roll back the clock on Eda's curse, by sharing it between you. But the curse hasn't actually been changed. It's still just as strong?” Luz asked, as she pondered that.</p><p>“Exactly. The spell let me split the progress of the curse between us, but the curse itself still has all of the power it had before.” The elder witch summed up, gesturing between herself and Eda.</p><p>“So...without some way to suppress it, the curse is going to progress even faster than before. For both of you.” The young apprentice deduced, looking between the two older witches with growing concern now. Biting her lip and frowning, she held out her hands imploringly “What can we do though?”</p><p>“In the short-term? Our plans haven't changed much.” Lilith said with a nod, before retrieving her list and holding it out towards Luz “For now, we can begin to stock up on basic reagents and potion-making tools.”</p><p>“But...aren't we going to need something stronger?”</p><p>“We are. But most of the basic components for potions are useful regardless; there are some ingredients that are common to just about any potion or elixir, weak or strong.” Lilith explained, before pausing a moment in thought. Bringing her list back to the table she jotted something else down “That aside, even if you're not going to school today, this could be a good opportunity for you to get some hands-on experience with potions.”</p><p>“I guess that makes sense...” The young human said, with some visible consideration. She honestly didn't mind the idea of getting to learn more about magic along the way “...but, what about the long-term?”</p><p>“In the long-term?...We'll likely need to do some research into the topic, find some sources.” The raven witch said, even as she continued to focus on her list. Apparently satisfied that she hadn't forgotten to write anything down, she glanced over to Luz “Long-term, we'll need to find a new primary component for any sort of elixir we might make.”</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>“I'm not sure yet...Something with strong curative properties, that could disrupt the magic of the curse...” Lilith mused for a few moments, clearly wracking her memories for anything that could fit the bill “Like I said, we'll likely need to do some research on the topic.”</p><p>“I could try checking out some books from the library?” Luz offered.</p><p>“Or you two could try listening to me for a change.” Eda finally offered, her arms crossed as she looked between her sister and her apprentice.</p><p>“You know something that might help?” Her apprentice asked hopefully.</p><p>“Hey, don't look so surprised, kid.” Eda said with a grin, before walking by and tousling Luz' hair. Pausing only to adjust one of her slippers, she headed over towards one of the cabinets set in the wall “The Owl Lady hasn't stuck around this long without keeping a few things in her back pocket.”</p><p>“Care to share what that thing might be?” Lilith asked, crossing her own arms as she watched her sister start to rummage around. Giving a tilt of her head, before looking around the room “If you tell me, I might be able to help you find what you're looking for.”</p><p>“Nah, I got it.” Eda offhandedly waved the offer away without looking away from the contents of the cabinet. Various odds and ends clinked and clattered as she sorted through them “The way I see it, the problem is that we don't know what we're looking for, right?”</p><p>“If we're talking about finding a component for a stronger elixir, yes, that's about the sum of it.” The older sister conceded, before letting her gaze wander upwards “If we're talking about whatever it is you're rummaging for right now, then...also, yes.”</p><p>“Alright, like I said, I had a system in place before you came in and upended everything.” Eda defensively pointed out.</p><p>“You had a complete lack of a system in place, by your own admission, Edalyn.” Lilith dryly pointed out, before gesturing towards the pulled out clutter “Just tell me what you're looking for.”</p><p>“I can find it, alright. I just gotta retrace my steps...and hope you haven't moved it somewhere...”</p><p>“Moved <em>what</em> exactly?” Her sister pressed again.</p><p>“It's- Fine! It's a little vial, alright! Light purple. Looks kinda expensive, but actually isn't. It's got a murky-” Eda finally yielded with a huff, before she started animatedly describing the target of her search. She didn't get that far along, before Lilith turned without a word and walked over to one of the piles and reached into an old wicker basket.</p><p>“Is this it?” Lilith blandly asked, as she held up a small capped vial for Eda's perusal.</p><p>“...Where did you find that?”</p><p>“I found it stuffed inside an old cookie jar. Along with several other unmarked potions.” The raven witch calmly explained, with an upticked eyebrow.</p><p>“...Right! That's where I put it, for...I dunno. Some reason or another.” Eda exclaimed, before tapping herself on the forehead. Giving a shrug, she easily retrieved the potion from Lilith, before holding it up to inspect “Welp. At least we know the system works!”</p><p>“If we ignore the part where it doesn't work, I suppose...” Lilith griped with a roll of her eyes. A moment later she gestured to the gathered clutter “And that's another thing, you can't just leave unmarked, unlabeled potions around for someone to find.”</p><p>“Well, I didn't just leave it out, if you recall.” Eda countered.</p><p>“Yes, you left it in a cookie jar.” Lilith said, before gesturing towards King on the kitchen table “What if this one had been rooting around for a snack and decided to drink one of those mystery potions?”</p><p>“That's actually happened before!” King helpfully volunteered.</p><p>“Ah, he'd have been fine...probably.” The owl witch said with a shrug.</p><p>“Uhm, what exactly is it anyway?” Luz eventually asked, looking at the potion now herself. Glancing up towards her mentor “Is it a potion that can help us find what we're looking for?”</p><p>“After a fashion.” Eda said with a nod, before holding up the vial and giving it a light tap with her finger “It's more like a potion that'll help us find <em>someone</em> that can help us find what we're looking for.”</p><p>“Who?” Her apprentice chirped with a tilt of her head.</p><p>“Oh, you'll see...”</p><p>“...”<br/>
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“...”<br/>
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“...”</p><p>“...Seriously, Edalyn. Who are you talking about?” Her sister pressed.</p><p>“Is it another witch?” Luz added with a touch of excitement.</p><p>“Or a demon? Is it someone I know? Have you been seeing other demons behind my back?!” King followed, as he pointed accusingly at Eda.</p><p>“Are we going to be able to trust that they won't turn us in to the Emperor? We're going to need to keep a low profile.” Lilith added.</p><p>“Oooooh! Is it another rogue witch like you, Eda?” Luz excitedly asked.</p><p>“Yes! Yes, alright! It's another rogue witch!” Eda finally admitted.</p><p>“Esto es muy emocionante! Another rogue witch!” Luz exclaimed, even as Eda tiredly rubbed at her forehead.</p><p>“Can't even let me build up a little suspense...”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, so as I mentioned elsewhere, I had an idea for a little Post-Season One story. Obviously, I'm taking some liberties here with the magic and the setting; most of these ideas probably won't survive past the Season 2 debut. But I think they're fun and I think we all are going to need an Owl House fix between now and then.</p><p>This will probably be a fairly short story, no more than...let's say 4 to 6 chapters of around this length, I think. We'll see though.</p><p>It's mostly going to center around Lilith being a part of the crew and trying to deal with all of the emotional tension there, as you can probably tell from this first chapter. And I was really curious about the idea of rogue witches other than Eda, Luz, and now Lilith. So I thought, why not write one? They'll be making an appearance in the next chapter.</p><p>Also, sorry to disappoint, but there won't be any real Lumity in this story. I love the pairing as much as the next fan, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. If anyone needs a Lumity fix though, they can checkout my other Owl House story 'Teatime'.</p><p>As always, I appreciate any interest and I'll try to respond to any comments and questions promptly. Also, you can expect me to make a few more editing passes to correct typos and tighten things up here and there. Enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Introduction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wherein, Eda shows us the way.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure this is the right way?”</p><p>“Not this again...” Eda groaned, as she paused to facepalm.</p><p>“Well, I'm sorry, Edalyn.” Lilith retorted with a huff. Planting her fists against her hips, she glanced off to the side “But you are being a little vague about all of this.”</p><p>“Is this your way of telling me you want me to ask for directions?” The owl witch snidely asked.</p><p>“No, this is my way of asking if we even have a direction in the first place.” Lilith clarified before gesturing widely to the steaming swamp they were currently trudging through “Or is this just your idea of a good time?”</p><p>It had only taken an hour or two for the small party to trek their way from the Owl House into the dark, soggy part of the Isles they were now in. Perpetually warm, difficult to traverse, and filled with the constant sounds of strange life, it was about as swampy as a swamp could get. It was very near impossible to not end up covered in sweat, mud, and various twig and leaves. To say nothing of the numerous small critters that perpetually tried to crawl, fly, or hop onto any passersby that they detected.</p><p>Luz was personally entranced by the place, as she was with most parts of the Boiling Isles, as she pondered what kind of strange mysteries could be found in a place like this. Granted, she was as sweaty and dirt covered as poor Lilith was now, but she wasn't going to let that get her down, as she followed the two older witches. King likewise had the advantage of getting to take up his usual spot, curled up in the hood of her hoodie; really the only discomfort he showed, was towards Goobert. Out of everyone, the small blob monster seemed the least affected by their surroundings, and seemed quite content to just sit on Luz' shoulder and watch things pass them by.</p><p>The little homunculus was likewise, far less concerned by the two sisters constant bickering up ahead.</p><p>“Here we go...” Eda said, more to herself, as she let out a sigh.</p><p>“I am not trying to be a nag, Eda.”</p><p>“I know, I know. It just comes naturally to you.” The younger of the two said, with a dismissive wave.</p><p>Lilith narrowed her eyes at the barb, even as she visibly kept herself from countering with her own remark. Pausing to take a breath, she soon moved after her sister “But...it may be helpful if I know just who it is we're going to see.”</p><p>“What? Are you worried you might have hunted her down before now?”</p><p>“I-...” The older witch was again given pause, as she seemed briefly taken aback by the comment. Frowning to herself she seemed to shake it off, before moving alongside Eda “...Do you think my presence might be an issue?”</p><p>“Nah.” Eda waved off her sister's question, before stopping to turn to her “I happen to have it on good authority that your goons never even got close to finding her.”</p><p>“That's...good to know.” Lilith unenthusiastically remarked.</p><p>“Besides, this little baby here is our foot in the door!” Eda proudly declared, before pulling out the small vial from before to hold up. Giving it a little shake, she pointed to it “With this, there's no way she'll turn us away.”</p><p>“Would there be a chance of her turning us away if you weren't bringing that?” The raven-haired witch asked with an upraised eyebrow.</p><p>“Oh, stop worrying your pretty little head. There's nothing to worry about.” The owl witch waved away that concern, while noticeably avoiding meeting Lilith's gaze.</p><p>“You telling me not to worry only makes me worry more.” Lilith pointed out as she crossed her arms. Leaning forward she held out a hand “You're sure your acquaintance isn't going to have a problem with me being here?”</p><p>“I'm 100% on that. You've got nothing to worry about.” Eda gave a confident nod at that.</p><p>“And they're not going to have a problem with you being here either?” The older sister added with a tilt of her head.</p><p>“I mean...” The owl witch paused at that, as she was again pressed on the issue. Looking up, she gave a shrug “...it'll probably be alright.”</p><p>“Edalyn!”</p><p>“Oh, calm down! Like I said, this little potion is our way in.” Eda reminded her sister, before giving another light shake of the vial. Stowing it away back in her robes, she looked back “We've done tons of business before.”</p><p>“That's what I'm worried about...” Lilith bemoaned, before bringing her hand up to massage her forehead. Pausing, she looked up to her sister with her one gray eye “At least tell me she won't try to kill us when we get there?”</p><p>“No, no, no...Maybe some light assault...”</p><p>“Eda...” Lilith groaned again. Facepalming, she held the gesture before running her hand through her hair “I'm not sure what's going to be worse. Meeting one of your friends or getting eaten alive in this swamp.”</p><p>“Eh, it's not that bad.” Eda countered, before slapping at the side of her neck. Pausing she looked to see what it is that she had smacked, a bug that easily filled out her entire palm, before rubbing it on her robes.</p><p>“Yes, Eda, it is.” The raven witch tersely said, before gesturing down at her own thoroughly mud-soaked and torn robes.</p><p>“It's not my fault you didn't bother to dress appropriately...”</p><p>“...These are the only clothes I have right now, Edalyn.” The older sister growled out, as she reached down to flick some manner of strange slug off of her robes “As you well know.”</p><p>“Yeah, well who's fault is it you couldn't be bothered to pack anything?” The owl witch countered.</p><p>Lilith let out another long sound of utter frustration at that, as Luz and King continued to watch from the sidelines.</p><p>“Hmmm...” King quietly mused to himself, as he sat snugly in Luz' hood, watching the two older witches from over her shoulder. Rubbing at his chin, he didn't seem to share Luz' trepidation at this scene “Very interesting...”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Luz asked, turning to look over her shoulder.</p><p>“Luz...is this what it's like to have parents?” The little demon asked earnestly, while gesturing a paw towards the two older witches.</p><p>The young human had to blink in momentary surprise at the question, as it set her thoughts a-whirl. Pushing down the tumult of emotions she was still trying to deal with, after having been cut-off from home and her Mami, she looked back to Eda. That was a pretty heavy question to ask so casually right now. Eda was just about the closest thing she had to a parent right now; she knew that it wasn't so different for King.</p><p>But what did that make Lilith? The lid on that little question had just gotten pulled back off again. Was she going to stick around? Did she want to? Was she like the estranged aunt now? Some sort of weird cousin?</p><p>And even if she went along with the idea of Eda and Lilith being like the...somethings of their little family now, was their constant arguing really comparable to what parents usually did. How normal was it for a family situation to be this awkward? She didn't have that many friends back in the human world, so normal was never her strong suit.</p><p>“Uhhhhhhh...” Luz started to stall as she realized King was still staring at her curiously waiting on her answer. Glancing back between King and the two witches, the teen had to frown, before shrugging “...Kinda?”</p><p>“I see...” King said with a nod to himself, scratching at his chin in thought for a moment “And...what do I do with this weird feeling I've been having?”</p><p>“Weird feeling? Do you wanna talk about it?” Luz said with a tilt of her head, wondering if her thoughts had more in common with the little demon's than she thought.</p><p>“It's just, I kinda have this urge...” King tried to explain, gesturing his paw back over to Eda and Lilith, before bringing his paws in front of him “...to...pit them against each other, and make them vie for my affection.”</p><p>“King...” Luz said in a disapproving tone, as her hopes for someone to talk about all this evaporated.</p><p>“I'm just saying, I think we could pull it off, Luz.” King eagerly pointed out, before adopting as dramatic a pose as he could while sitting in her hood “Think of the power we could wield!”</p><p>“That power is contingent upon the both of us desiring your approval, little demon.”</p><p>Luz turned to see both Lilith and Eda looking their way now, with Eda looking far more amused by the conversation than her sister.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry, King. You're gonna find that Lils and I aren't that easily manipulated.” Eda crowed with a smirk of her own, as she crossed her arms.</p><p>“Oh, really...?” King said, crossing his own arms.</p><p>“Yes, really. I've been scamming my way across this island for decades. You know that.” The owl witch pointed out.</p><p>“And not that I even want to give credit to the idea, the covens are pretty political. Being able to deal with conniving witches is practically a job requirement.” Lilith followed.</p><p>“...Was that directed at me?” Eda asked, while pointing a finger at herself.</p><p>“Not this time.”</p><p>“Right...” Eda replied slowly, her eye arching upward in open scrutiny of her sister. Shaking her head, she shrugged before turning back to King “Point is, King, you're working against years of experience here.”</p><p>“True, true, you're both super-old. So, you might have me beat in experience...” King conceded with a few nods, even as he earned an annoyed look from both witches. Looking back up, he reached behind him before pulling out a small object “...but neither of you have one of these! Nyehaha!”</p><p>It was Luz' light-up pen.</p><p>“...What is that?” Lilith blandly asked with an upraised eyebrow.</p><p>“King, where did you get that? I've been looking all over for my pen.” Luz admonished with a frown.</p><p>“You mean <em>my</em> Sparkle-Thing!” Eda abruptly declared, as she recognized the small gadget and jerked a thumb towards herself.</p><p>“I still don't know what that is.” The raven-haired witch pointed out.</p><p>“That's payment for services rendered, is what it is.” Eda said, not quite clarifying the issue for her sister.</p><p>“Hey, finders-keepers! You forgot all about this thing!” King pointed out, while clutching the pen a little bit closer now. Frowning, he turned his attention to fiddling at it with his paw “Now how does Luz work this thing...?”</p><p>“King, Eda did technically teach me a spell that night.” The human apprentice reminded.</p><p>Lilith rubbed at the sweat on her brow, before grumbling “Are we really going to argue about this in the middle of a-”</p><p>The small topper on the top of the pen lit-up with a small click.</p><p>“...Oh my.”</p><p>Luz found herself looking on with worry, as both Eda's and Lilith's narrowed to pinpricks and focused in on the brightly lit tip of her pen. Reminded of the evening she'd first promised the pen to her mentor, she was immediately concerned that both of them seemed to be having the same reaction to it. Before, she might have been able to chalk it up to Eda's usual fondness for junk and baubles, but now she wasn't so sure.</p><p>“Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?” Eda said to her sister absently.</p><p>“Okay, that's enough of that.” Luz abruptly declared, before quickly snagging the pen from the demon hanging off her shoulders. Ignoring his sounds of objection, she put her foot down, as she quickly switched off the pen's light “We're not going to be having a repeat of that night.”</p><p>Sure enough, both sisters soon blinked away their fascination and came to their senses.</p><p>“Okay...I still don't know what that thing is...” Lilith said with some trepidation. Glancing over to her sister in the hopes for some sort of answer “...why was I so fixated on that...thing a moment ago? Is this some form of human magic?”</p><p>“Huh...well, you learn something new everyday. And here all this time I thought I was just naturally greedy.” Eda mused, more to herself than anyone.</p><p>“Wait. Are you saying this a part of the curse? A baffling obsession with silly little baubles?” The older sister asked.</p><p>“Hey! Baubles aren't silly!” The Owl Lady soon declared in a defensive tone. Holding out her hand, she started counting off on her fingers “They gleam. They fit in your pocket. They sparkle. People want them. They shine. You can secret them away in hidden little places that only you know about. They-”</p><p>“Oh, no...” Lilith groaned before clasping her face in both hands.</p><p>“Okay! We're just going to be putting this away then.” Luz declared in a slightly more upbeat tone.</p><p>“Luz! That was my only leverage!” King bemoaned, as he saw her tuck away the pen.</p><p>“Family doesn't manipulate family, King.” The human declared, setting that in stone as a rule to abide by. Pausing in thought, she looked back to the demon on her shoulder “Also...family doesn't hypnotize family with light-up pens.”</p><p>“That rule feels way too specific to be real...” King grumbled.</p><p>“Well, hold on. That pen does still belong to me.” Eda reminded, as she gestured at the pocket her apprentice had tucked it away in.</p><p>“I really don't think it's a good idea for either of you to have it, Eda.” Luz pleaded with her mentor, looking a bit sheepish. Bringing a hand up, she made a swirly gestures with her finger “You kinda get coo-coo bananas around it.”</p><p>“What would you even do with it, Eda?” Lilith asked from the side.</p><p>“I don't know, I could use it when it's dark out and I need to get around the house.” Eda said with a shrug, before she visibly started thinking it over “I could just go click-click and...light.”</p><p>“That's exactly what it does...” King pointed out, still audibly disappointed.</p><p>“Yeah, I could keep it in my nest, right where I used to keep that chalice.”</p><p>“Grail.” Lilith reminded from the side.</p><p>“All my little treasures would sparkle and gleam.” Eda abruptly trailed off. Bringing her hands up to her cheeks, as she looked up starry-eyed “Just me and the Sparkle-Thing...”</p><p>It took Eda a moment to realize that everyone was staring at her.</p><p>“Alright...yep, I'm hearing it now.” Rolling her eyes, the owl witch rubbed at the back of her head awkwardly.</p><p>“So you agree, Eda?” Luz asked.</p><p>“Yeah...Owl Mama was getting a bit nutty there.”</p><p>“Should we be concerned?” Lilith asked, very obviously already concerned. Gesturing around them “If this is a sign that the curse is progressing, then-”</p><p>“It's fine, it's fine.” Eda reassured, even as she waved away the issue. Giving a tilt of her head, she gestured further into the swamp “We're not that far off anyway from where we're supposed to be anyway.”</p><p>“But, I-”</p><p>“Relax. Very worst-case scenario...we have until nightfall.” The younger sister conceded with some solemnity.</p><p>“...Only that long?” The older sister asked.</p><p>“Like I said, that's the worst-case. It' ll probably be more like a few days...” Eda reminded, with an upheld finger. Though after a few moments, she gave a shrug “But, yeah...it tends to happen more often at night.”</p><p>“Are you going to have enough time to make more elixir when we get back?” Luz asked the most pertinent question, as she looked between her two seniors.</p><p>“If Edalyn's contact can point us to what we need, actually making the elixir shouldn't take too long.” Lilith explained, in what was probably as calming a tone as she could manage. Turning back to her younger sister she held out her hands “Are you sure they can come through?”</p><p>“Yeah...Yeah, I wouldn't be going to them if I didn't think so.” Eda admitted after a moment.</p><p>“Alright, if you say so...” The raven witch said with a nod. Frowning to herself for a moment, she looked back to Eda “Then, just for our comfort, can you please tell me who it is you're leading us too?”</p><p>“Ugggh! This again? I thought we just-...” The owl witch began to groan, as the topic was once more dredged up. She looked ready to grumble some more, until she saw the shared looks of worry Luz and Lilith were sporting “...alright, fine. If it's that big of a deal to you.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Lilith managed with some grace.</p><p>“I don't know what good it's going to do. I doubt you even remember her.” Eda said, crossing her arms. After a moment's thought, she gave a shrug “I mean, you probably know her from work, but that's-”</p><p>“Hold on...Where would I know this witch from?” The elder sister interjected, a bit caught off-guard by that comment.</p><p>“Okay...you remember that Grudgby match against Glandus High? Second year?” Eda eventually tossed that out, raising of her hands up to gesture to the side. Looking up she waved her hand from side-to-side “There was that skeevy, little jerk taking up the left side? He was a freshman, I think.”</p><p>“The one that kept awkwardly trying to flirt with me?”</p><p>“Yeah, you remember him?”</p><p>“I remember kneeing him in the face.” Lilith admitted with a tilt of her head, after a moment's thought.</p><p>“That's the one. Leander Mirewood. You broke his nose.” Eda said with a nod, holding her finger as she saw her sister make the connection.</p><p>“Hold on...I was under the impression that this was a 'she' that we were going to meet?” The elder sister reminded, with a perplexed look.</p><p>“Yeah, I'm getting to that.” Eda reassured with a wave of her hand, before setting the hand on her hip “Right, you remember him then. Do you remember that cheerleader that sucker-punched you right afterwards?”</p><p>“...Not very well.”</p><p>“Yeah, she really laid you out.” Eda added with a snicker, visibly reminiscing about it. Seeing the expectant, and slightly annoyed look coming from Lilith, she cleared her throat “Anywho, that was Leander's older sister, Leithi Mirewood.”</p><p>“...You couldn't just give me the name? Did we really need to go through the story where I got punched in the jaw?” Lilith asked after a moment.</p><p>“We didn't <em>have</em> to, no.”</p><p>“But you just couldn't help yourself...” The older sister said in exasperation.</p><p>“So, wait...you used to go to school with this witch?” Liz eventually asked from the side, pausing only to bat away King's paw from where she'd stowed the pen.</p><p>“Well, no. Leithi was from Glandus High. We just were in school at the same time.” Eda reminded her student.</p><p>“Okay...” King said, as he looked back up from his attempts to retrieve his key to power “...so what exactly can a cheerleader do to help us?”</p><p>“Well, it's not her Armor of Intimidation we're after.” Eda dryly said.</p><p>“She has one of those?!” The little demon blurted out, suddenly concerned by the power this mystery witch could wield.</p><p>“So, who exactly is Leithi?” Luz eventually asked, even as she idly soothed the now anxious King on her shoulder.</p><p>“Oh, she's not much...Just one of the best seers to come out of the Oracle track in Glandus High.” Eda explained with no small amount of confidence, as she examined her fingernails.</p><p>“She's also a fugitive from the Emperor. Which is one less concern I have about going to her.” Lilith added, before crossing her arms and turning to her sister “Though now I'm having second thoughts about my coming along...”</p><p>“I don't know why you're worried. She's the one that cold-cocked you, if you recall.” Eda reminded, earning a snicker from King at that.</p><p>“I'm not worried about that, Eda...” Lilith sourly replied at the remark, before giving an aside glance at the tittering demon. Taking in a breath, she held it for a few seconds before continuing “What I'm worried about, is the fact that just yesterday I was the head of the coven that has been trying to hunt her down for years.”</p><p>“This again? I already told you, I know for a fact your goons never even got close to Leithi.” Eda reminded. Holding out a hand, she gave a roll of her eyes “That one is super-paranoid.”</p><p>“How is that anyway?” Luz asked from the side, holding up her hand to draw their attention “It kinda seemed like the Emperor's Coven was catching witches left-and-right.”</p><p>“Well, since you-” Eda began.</p><p>“Leithi Mirewood isn't just renowned for her skills as a seeress. She's also exceptionally skilled as an illusionist.” Lilith explained before her younger sister could finish.</p><p>“...Okay, I wanted to tell her that.” The Owl Lady pointed out.</p><p>“Well, you got to tell her about the time I got punched in the face. It's my turn now.” The raven-haired witch replied primly.</p><p>Glancing between the two, Luz gave a small tilt of her head, before just plowing on ahead “So, she can both see when people are coming for her. And she can make all kinds of illusions to make it harder for them to find her?”</p><p>“Exactly. I know for a fact that we've tried to track down leads on Leithi Mirewood all across the Boiling Isles. To no avail.” Liilth continued in her best expository lecturing tone “We've definitely sent patrols through this very swamp to try to find her.”</p><p>“If you've been chasing her down that much, I can see how she might not be happy to see you.” Luz admitted, now sharing the older witch's concerns.</p><p>“Eh, we'd be having to work around that no matter who I went to. If Leithi has a problem with it, she can just get over it.” Eda said authoritatively, before looking off to the side.</p><p>“Eda, that was almost sweet.” Lilith said with a small amount of surprise.</p><p>“Yeah, well...you're as much a Wild Witch as anyone else now. We're all in the same boat now, and some of them need to start acting like it.” The younger sister explained with a bit more force than either Luz or Lilith expected.</p><p>“That's...actually a very good point, Edalyn.” Lilith admitted.</p><p>“And...” Eda added as she held a finger to make it clear she wanted to add something “...I'm going to be charging her if she wants to sock you another one.”</p><p>“And you've lost me.” The older sister hung her head at that.</p><p>“I'm thinking fifty snails for a body blow. A hundred and fifty for the face!” Eda exclaimed with a grin. Pausing, she held up both her hands “And before you say anything...I'll be taking the rent out of your share.”</p><p>“Alright, let's get going.” Lilith dully said, before walking past her sister “I don't know how much farther we need to go, but we should try to pick-up the pace.”</p><p>“Fine, fine. Let's get going.” Eda conceded with a smirk, as she moved past her sister and gestured for everyone to follow her through the muck once more.</p><p>Before anyone knew it, they were once again trudging through mud and pushing their way through all manner of brush. As a first for their journey so far, conversation settled, as everyone focused more upon making their way through the rough terrain. That and slapping away the odd bug that wanted to bite, nibble, or suck on any of them.</p><p>King soon nuzzled his way back down into the comfort of Luz' hood, after being dissuaded only a couple of more times from going for the pen. Little Goobert, still largely impassive about all the goings-on, only had a brief couple of moment where he nearly toppled from his safe position on the human apprentice's shoulder. It was when they were getting ready to clamber over a particularly large log, that things became briefly interesting once more. Logs getting up and revealing themselves to be unusually large, swamp-dwelling cockroaches had a tendency to do that. After that little ride through the mud, Luz had elected to keep Goobert in her pocket for safekeeping.</p><p>She also resolved to make doubly-sure the next time that it was actually a log she was balancing on in the future. The giant cockroach had almost been cute in its own way, but clearly hadn't enjoyed the experience.</p><p>“For a moment, I almost thought she was taking this seriously...”</p><p>Luz had to blink, as she realized that somewhere along their path, she'd managed to fall in step with Lilith. It made a certain amount of sense, as they were both following Eda as their guide. But all the same she was suddenly extremely aware of the older witch now.</p><p>“I'm sorry?” The human blurted out, against her better judgment.</p><p>“Hmm?” Lilith seemed to blink in turn, as she too just now seemed to notice that she was walking alongside Luz. Staring for a moment, the older witch quickly shrugged off her awkwardness “Oh, don't mind me. I was just...thinking aloud.”</p><p>“I, uhm...” Luz trailed off, as she glanced ahead to see Eda a couple of dozen steps ahead, well out of earshot. Resisting the urge to bunch up her shoulders, she looked back up to the Lilith.</p><p>“I think Eda's taking this pretty seriously...”</p><p>The young human soon found herself wondering why she needed to say that. It was something so minor, but somehow she was completely second-guessing herself on it. Which was extremely strange for her, as Luz had always believed in speaking her mind about anything. How could it be so weird to try to defend her mentor? To her mentor's sister? The one that had cursed her. And then captured her. And then helped save.</p><p>“You're probably right.”</p><p>“...What's that now?”</p><p>“I probably am being overly judgmental, Luz.” Lilith admitted, seeming thoughtful now, as she focused her gaze more on where she was walking.</p><p>“Uh...Oh.” Luz blurted out.</p><p>“Eda's always been capable.” The raven witch continued, sparing a glance for the girl at her side, before focusing ahead on her sister once more “Just because she doesn't always act like it, doesn't change that.”</p><p>Luz couldn't help but stare for a few moments, she was barely even aware of where she was putting her feet, taken aback as she was by the admission from the older witch. She'd kind of expected something like that to take a little longer to achieve. Maybe the events of the last 24 hours had hit the former coven head harder than Luz had realized. Or maybe this was simply something that Lilith had always thought to herself, but was only just now reaching a point where she could readily admit it.</p><p>It would hit anyone hard, realizing how wrong about so many things they may have been. Luz could only imagine how it would impact everyone back home that had told her so many times that there was no magic, nothing special in the wider world. If they'd seen even half the things she'd seen so far, quite a few them would probably fall apart.</p><p>Even her Mami.</p><p>And here she was thinking about possibly never being able to go home again.</p><p>“Huh. It occurs to me that we've barely talked about what we said we would.” Lilith suddenly said from Luz's side, drawing the girl's attention away from her thoughts.</p><p>“Err...what were we supposed to be talking about?” Luz awkwardly asked after a moment, suddenly drawing a blank.</p><p>“We were going to cover some of the basic potion ingredients you could find along the way?” Lilith reminded in a neutral tone. Pausing she finally looked towards the human at her side before gesturing ahead “With...everything, I guess it ended up slipping my mind.”</p><p>“Oh! I completely spaced about that!” Luz admitted, earning a nod from the Lilith that said she wasn't the only one.</p><p>“Since we're keeping you from your classes today, the least I could do is fill you in on a few things about gathering ingredients along the way.” The raven-haired witch reaffirmed, as she brought her hands together in front of her. Giving a pointed glance to their surroundings “Admittedly, this swamp isn't exactly the best place to be covering the basics...”</p><p>“That's okay! We can talk about something else if that's alright?” Luz offered amicably.</p><p>“Did you have something in mind?”</p><p>“I was kinda wonderin' about Oracle stuff.” The young apprentice mentioned, before swirling her fingers around her head “The classes I've been taking so far are kind of confusing. After hearing you two talk, I kinda want to know more about it now.”</p><p>“...I might have missed something here.” Lilith admitted after a couple of seconds, before coming to a brief stop. Gesturing to Luz and giving a tilt of her head “Did Principal Bump place you in the Oracle track?”</p><p>“Oh, that's right! I guess we never mentioned it. Principal Bump is letting me study a little of all of the tracks.” Luz enthusiastically replied, eager to be talking about magic again.</p><p>“I see...I wouldn't normally expect Principal Bump to go for an idea like that. Though, I suppose it does make sense.” The older witch mused for a couple of moments, before giving a small shrug “It would be the best way to see what aptitudes you have for traditional witch magic you have as a human.”</p><p>“Yep!...Also a magic-eating monster invaded the school and I bopped it in the face!”</p><p>“...That would do it too.” Lilith nodded at that, not terribly thrown by the comment. Moving after Eda again, she gestured for Luz to follow “So, what did you want to know about the Oracle track?”</p><p>“Everything, I guess.” Luz admitted with a with a flop of her arms. Holding out her hands, as she walked beside Lilith, she gestured to herself “So far it's all been...resonating, and finding your inner eye, and how to polish your crystal ball. I'm not really getting it.”</p><p>“That's not too much of a surprise.” The raven witch replied easily. Noticing the small pout that comment elicited, she gave a tilt of her head “I never had much aptitude for the Oracle track either. Nor did Eda, from what I recall.”</p><p>“Okay, how does that make sense though?”</p><p>“Out of all of the tracks, the Oracle track is probably the one that calls for the most...natural talent.” Lilith tried to explain, before pushing aside some of her sweat-soaked hair. Holding up a finger, she looked to Luz “It's often been said it's the Oracle track that chooses you, rather than the other way around.”</p><p>“I'm not sure I'm following. What kind of natural talent do you need to be in the Oracle track?” Luz held up her hands, before skipping ahead and turning around to walk backwards and talk at the same time.</p><p>“Well, many of the most skilled Oracle track witches are mediums, witches that are naturally sensitive to certain energies.” Lilith said before gesturing to their surroundings “Witches that are simply in-tune with the natural magical energies of the Boiling Isles. A fundamental aspect of the Oracle track is reading those energies and interacting with manifestations of that energy.”</p><p>“Manifestations?” The young witch's apprentice gave a tilt of her head at that, before clasping her hands behind her.</p><p>“Spirits most commonly. Most especially the spirits of the dead, who have left an impression in their passing.”</p><p>“Oh. So, ghosts? Cause I've seen ghosts before and it's not even like a big deal either. The school mascot's a ghost.” Luz pointed out.</p><p>“Some ghosts are...more informative than others.” Lilith acknowledged with a tilt of her head. Holding out a hand, she turned back to Luz “Many of the spirits you see in day-to-day life have simply been made restless by high concentrations of magic in an area.”</p><p>“That would explain the school.”</p><p>“Indeed. In any event, these incidental spirits are usually...simple, easily confused, and lacking in much personality. A properly trained Oracle can call forth much more potent and knowledgeable entities.”</p><p>“Okay, I think I get it then...So Oracles are usually good at just sort of...reading supernatural stuff. And they can use that to call up and talk to spirits?” Luz eventually summed up.</p><p>“That's the core of it, yes.” Lilith agreed with a nod, before holding up a finger “Most everything else is derived from those basic skills. From scrying and the arts of prophecy. To calling forth and bartering with spirits.”</p><p>“And where do crystal balls fit into all of this?” The young human asked with an upraised eyebrow. Looking down in slight annoyance, Luz held out her arms “Cause just about the only thing my Oracle Track teacher has taught me is how to polish crystal balls.”</p><p>“Crystal balls are simply a popular anchor to use in Oracular magic. The shape and nature are simply naturally conducive to receiving, containing, and viewing spirits and subtle magical energies.”</p><p>“Huh...Kinda wished the teacher had mentioned that at some point.” Luz grumbled lightly, before lightly kicking her foot, as she turned to walk facing forward again.</p><p>“Like I said, most Oracle track witches have known what path they were on for some time, by the time they actually got to these classes.” Lilith explained, before hiking up her robes a bit. Stepping over a particularly deep puddle, she looked back to Luz “The teacher probably assumed that this kind of thing was something everyone in your class knew already.”</p><p>“I'm kinda getting that a lot lately. There's just somethings that everyone just sort of knows around here.” Luz said with a thoughtful look on her face, as she meandered around the same puddle.</p><p>“It is the teacher's mistake, Luz. They shouldn't simply assume that you already know what they're supposed to be teaching.” Lilith firmly pointed out, as she moved in-step with the human again.</p><p>“It's not just that. It just sometimes feels like...people don't even really know what they know. And if they don't know, how can they let you know? You know?” Luz rambled on for a couple of seconds, before looking up towards Lilith helplessly.</p><p>“...Surprisingly, I think I know what you're saying.” The eldest witch of the group said, after a few moments visibly parsing apart the young human's words. Giving a tilt of her head, she looked up to the canopy above “It's actually a rather keen insight. About people.”</p><p>“Thanks. Anyway, maybe I should just talk to Principal Bump about dropping the Oracle classes.” Luz said after a few moments, staring down at her feet, as she admitted to the idea “Kinda seems like it might not be something I can really just...get in to.”</p><p>“You seemed interested in it, not a few minutes ago.”</p><p>“I know. And it does still sound pretty cool. I just kinda wonder, with everything going on...” Luz trailed off for a few seconds, as she visibly considered this “...if you and Eda can't really do magic, maybe I should focus on something a little more...”</p><p>“Practical?” Lilith eventually offered.</p><p>“Yeah, practical...” Luz agreed without much enthusiasm.</p><p>“...You know, the Oracle track might be of more benefit for you than you think.” The older witch mused, noticing how this talk of pragmatism and responsibility was getting the magical student down.</p><p>“How do you mean? I thought it was only for witches that were just sort of good at it already.”</p><p>“Some might think so. But it's actually because many witches aren't naturals in the field that it might be helpful for your situation.” Lilith explained, glancing down to see if that had ignited the girl's interest. Seeing that the wheels were turning she held out a hand “Because many witches aren't naturally gifted in the field, many have to approach the Oracle track without using their own magic.”</p><p>“You mean like I do with my glyphs?”</p><p>“Yes. Quite a few witches in the Oracle track need to make do with using rituals and foci to communicate with spirits.” Lilith nodded, before clasping her hands behind her back. Looking up ahead, she gave another tilt of her head to Luz “And others can learn through meditation and analysis how to read the flow of magic around them.”</p><p>“That actually sounds really cool! So, I could, maybe do things like talk to ghosts and read the future?”</p><p>“It's entirely possible. Many other witches have done so without using the usual spells that come easily to natural seers.” The raven witch nodded, before idly drawing a circle in the air with a finger to make it clear.</p><p>“I wonder if maybe I could do it with Tarot cards instead?” Luz mused, bringing a finger up to her lips as she thought about the idea.</p><p>“I've heard of some Oracle track witches using other tools like that.” Lilith nodded at that, inwardly pleased that she'd managed to improve the girl's mood about this “And it's not a bad idea to have someone that knows how to work the normal crystal balls and portable scrolls.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah! Maybe I could even make my own scroll! I could message Willow, Gus, and Amity whenever I wanted.”</p><p>“As I recall, that's a slightly more advanced class. But it's possible.” The older witch nodded at that, before gesturing to Luz “You just need someone to tutor you further in the basics of the track.”</p><p>“I guess I need to see if I can't find someone from the Oracle track that can help me.” Luz noted aloud, before bringing her hand to her chin and visibly thinking it over “I know Barkus is in the Oracle track...But he's also a dog. Maybe Viney has a way of talking to him...”</p><p>“I may not be an expert in the field, but I can tu-”</p><p>One could almost hear the sound of Lilith clamping her mouth shut. Though, by that point, it was already far too obvious to the two of them what she'd been about to say.</p><p>Was it wrong? Should she have been more thoughtful about her words? It seemed too late to walk it back, as Luz was now staring up at her.</p><p>“I can talk to Edalyn, that is...” Lilith eventually said, feeling a coward for the obvious change of course. Swallowing, she glanced towards Luz “It might not be her specialty, but I'm sure she could catch you up on the basics.”</p><p>“...Yeah. Yeah, that would make sense.” Luz conceded after a moment, her own gaze wandering away from Lilith's, as she turned back to look at the ground “Eda is my mentor, after all.”</p><p>In less than a day, the former coven leader was seeing what little progress she had managed dissolving in front of her. And deservedly so at that. She couldn't fault the human girl for her feelings. She couldn't fault her sister for the barbs. Did she really have any room at all, to do anything but accept how wrong she had been?</p><p>Looking ahead, she saw Eda not so very far ahead, now seemingly prodding at a tree with her Palisman-topped staff.</p><p>Was she just going to keep biting her tongue, in the hopes that no one addressed the trash slug in the room? Everyone could just bury their heads in the sand, pretend that nothing had happened, and that everything would be fine in the end.</p><p>Lilith didn't exactly have a good record with that strategy.</p><p>“Luz...hold on a moment.”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>The young teen turned to look back up to Lilith, who seemed to have paused in reaching out towards her. An awkward moment passed, before the older witch withdrew and clasped her hands in front of her. She tried to speak but the words seem to hang in her mouth for a moment, before Lilith closed her mouth again. She took a moment to glance to the fore, to confirm that Eda was comfortably out of ear-shot. Sure enough the infamous Owl Lady seemed to still be poking at the tree with her staff in increasing frustration. It would give them some time, she had to assume.</p><p>She looked back towards the expectant teen with her mismatched eyes, before taking a breath.</p><p>“I owe you...an apology.” Lilith eventually said, in what felt like a too-matter-of-fact tone, she realized. Her lips pressed together as she thought about that, before she turned her gaze to the side “I honestly owe you much more than just an apology...”</p><p>“I mean...kinda...yeah...” Luz hesitantly said, rubbing at the back of her head, before she too looked away.</p><p>Lilith had to resist the urge to bite the inside of her lip. She knew this wouldn't be easy, and she couldn't expect it to be any easier for Luz. There were few options but to just push through.</p><p>“I...would like to say that, I wasn't in my right mind. That I wasn't thinking clearly.” The raven witch slowly said, hanging her head at that. Glancing back towards Luz, she let out a sigh “But I can't honestly say that. I knew what I was doing. No part of it was an accident.”</p><p>“So...” The young human couldn't keep the frown from creeping across her face. Nor could she entirely keep it from starting to turn into a scowl “...it was all on purpose then?”</p><p>“...Yes.”</p><p>“Then, how?” Luz managed to bite out, before turning to look back up to Lilith “Did you think it was all alright?”</p><p>“I knew what I was doing was...wrong. On some level, anyway.” Liilth admitted, clasping her hands in front of her and letting her gaze wander to the side. Seeming to think about it, she gave a tilt of her head “Or...I can't put it into words...”</p><p>“...This isn't a very good apology.”</p><p>Lilith couldn't help but gasp out a chuckle at that blunt assessment, not disagreeing. Getting control over herself, she still loosed a small smile at that, as she gave a shake of her head.</p><p>“That's fair.”</p><p>“If you knew what you were doing was wrong, then why did you do it? Any of it?” Luz pressed, not letting her gaze soften.</p><p>“I suppose...I only ever imagined things going right. I never gave any thought about...simply being wrong.” Lilith admitted, seeming to only just put that together for herself.</p><p>“What do you mean?” The young witch furrowed her brow, not understanding.</p><p>“I...never thought you were going to get hurt, Luz.” The older witch eventually said.</p><p>“...I don't know how that makes it better.” Luz replied after a few seconds, looking to the side with mix of sadness and uncertainty.</p><p>“It doesn't. It's just...a pattern I'm starting to realize in me.” Lilith said, looking down as her fingers fiddled with each other “I never thought that...Emperor Belos could have been lying.”</p><p>“Or the curse that you put on Eda could have been permanent?” Luz added sharply.</p><p>“Yes...” Lilith agreed without hesitation, only resignation to the truth. Swallowing, she gave a tilt of her head “I never acknowledged how things could go so wrong. I just thought things would happen...the way I wanted them to happen.”</p><p>Luz frowned at that, furrowing her brow and biting on the inside of her lip a bit, her hesitation easily noticed by Lilith.</p><p>“It doesn't make any of it better. I put that curse on Eda for...petty reasons. I worked for a manipulative tyrant to try to fix it. And I-” This last bit seemed to stymie the former coven leader for a moment, as she tackled the harshest admission “...And I almost got you killed. The thought of any of those things should have stopped me.”</p><p>“But you only saw what you wanted?” The young apprentice supplied.</p><p>“Yes. And I don't really ever expect you to forgive me for that.” Lilith said, before clasping her hands in front of her again, stopping her earlier fidgeting. Standing up a bit straighter, she gave a small nod towards Luz “I can't really ever ask you to be...comfortable around me, after that.”</p><p>“...It is kind of weird.” Luz admitted, before rubbing at the back of her neck.</p><p>“I know...” Lilith said with a small smile. Letting it fade, she closed her eyes before letting out a sigh “...Please, just put up with me for a little longer.”</p><p>“Errr, wait. What do you mean by that?” Luz asked, an eyebrow arching up at that.</p><p>“After we've figured out this business with an elixir and we have the supplies to deal with the curse...” The older witch said in as steady manner as she could manage, before swallowing again “...I could understand if you'd rather I wasn't around.”</p><p>“...Okay?” The young human replied a bit dully, not quite willing to approach what the Lilith was saying.</p><p>“I'm saying, I can leave if it will help.”</p><p>“Leave?! But you just- Where would you even go?!” Luz blurted out.</p><p>“I'll manage.”</p><p>“But you don't even-”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>Both stopped to turn back towards the tree Eda had been prodding at earlier, only to see an irate Owl Lady pushing her way out of the brush.</p><p>“Are you two done lollygagging?! Or are we gonna do this thing?!” Eda shouted back, holding her hands up to her mouth and letting her staff rest against her shoulder. Gesturing her hands back to the tree in question “This is a very delicate operations we've got going on here!”</p><p>Lilith let out a sigh, before turning back to Luz and quietly saying “Like I said, I'd understand. Think on it.”</p><p>Luz went a bit wide-eyed at that.</p><p>“I haven't got all day! Some of us might be turning into monsters sooner rather than later, ya know?” Eda called over again, tapping her foot impatiently now.</p><p>“We're coming! We best not keep her.”</p><p>Luz felt her mouth button-up at that, wanting to say something, but not sure what. Where would Lilith go? Would she really be able to take care of herself? What would Eda think? How could it just be her decision? When did Lilith even have time to come around to this?</p><p>The young apprentice frowned as she realized that at least the last question had a likely answer.</p><p>Looking on, it was only now sinking in just how tired the raven witch looked, as she ambled over towards her waiting sister. She was always pale, much like Eda, but was the skin around her eyes sagging? She easily could have chalked-up Lilith's disheveled appearance to walking around through a sweaty, boiling swamp for the last hour. But even earlier she had seemed as on edge as Luz had been. She'd thought initially that Lilith had simply been the first one up, reflecting a tendency to just stay busy. Now Luz was wondering if the older witch had slept at all last night.</p><p>It's not like Lilith lacked for thoughts to keep her up through the night.</p><p>Before she realized it, Lilith had already crossed half the distance between them and Eda and Luz had to put a small skip in her step to catch up.</p><p>Maybe all she really could do for now was think on it.</p><p>“Alright you two, prepare to be impressed!” Eda excitedly declared, as she planted her staff and held her nose up high.</p><p>“Count us prepared then, Eda.” Lilith blandly noted, as she idly glanced over the large tree.</p><p>“...You could prepare a little harder than that.” The Owl Lady noted, with a hint of disappointment.</p><p>“I-...What do you want me to do? Should I brace myself somehow?” The elder sister asked with an upraised eyebrow, as she gestured to herself.</p><p>“Just look around. Tell me what you see.” Eda said, waving her hand by her head to push them to move things along.</p><p>“Are we looking for some kind of secret?” Luz chirped from the side, the owl witch's antics at least distracting her from her earlier thoughts.</p><p>“You might say that.” Her mentor said with a nod and a smirk.</p><p>“...Is the secret that we've already passed this tree...twice before already?” Lilith asked as her eyes pointedly zeroed-in on the two sets of familiar tracks that had already approached and wandered off from the tree.</p><p>“Oh, look at you. You got it in the first go!” Eda countered her sister with a smirk, that seemed to signal to Lilith that there was more to what they were seeing than was apparent.</p><p>“So, wait. Are we lost, Eda?” Luz asked as she joined the two sisters.</p><p>“Ah! That's just what they'd want you to think!” Eda declared, as she held up a finger. Holding out her hands, she gave a shrug “I actually gotta give Leithi some credit on this one. It's a twisty bit of magic she's got going on here.”</p><p>“...I think I see what this is.” Lilith mused, more to herself, as she took in the hints Eda was dropping. Bringing her hand to her chin, she furrowed her brow “A ritual of sorts? That would explain why our patrols never found anything passing through here...”</p><p>“You're stepping on the big reveal again, Lils.”</p><p>“What? Oh...Please continue.” The raven witch replied with a gesture, as she was shaken from her own theorizing.</p><p>“A ritual? Does that mean that us just walking around was part of some kind of spell?” Luz asked, suddenly very intrigued by the possibility.</p><p>“You might say that.” Eda replied with a nod, before gesturing to the tree that she had been prodding at earlier “But, it's more like a spell that only goes off after someone has done certain things beforehand.”</p><p>“So our seemingly wandering around the swamp at random...” Lilith prompted.</p><p>“Yep! It's the only way to get Leithi's spell to trigger. Not many people would intentionally just wander around in circles.” The owl witch said with a grin and a nod “Like I said, pretty cunning. The only way to stumble upon her place is to get well-and-truly lost.”</p><p>“Naturally, our patrols wouldn't bother checking the same area repeatedly...” Lilith concluded with a bit more thought, before giving a tilt of her head “You either have to know exactly what you're doing or find her completely by accident. Clever.”</p><p>“So, what kind of spell is it, Eda?” Luz eventually asked, as she looked up between the two older witches. Visibly struck by an idea, she pointed towards the tree “Does it activate some sort of portal?”</p><p>“Here, I'll show you. It's actually kind of neat.” Eda said, before waving for the two of them to follow her, as she pushed aside a section of hanging moss with her staff.</p><p>Lilith seemed to spare Luz a glance, before following after her sister, disappearing into the brush. Curious, Luz leaned forward before peering at the section of moss, wondering what exactly the trick was that she was about to find out. Loudly humming to herself, she brought her fingers up to rub at her chin. Taking a few steps, she leaned around to look to the other side of the tree, only to find nothing more than squelching mud and swampy plants.</p><p>Though it was notable that there was a distinct lack of Eda or Lilith on the other side of the tree too. Some kind of illusion? Or maybe just a secret path? Either way, it was already pretty cool. Thinking about it, there were all kinds of cool things she could do if she could make secret passages just wherever. Whoever this Leithi was, they had some pretty cool tricks. Luz kinda hoped that she might get a chance to ask her about some of them.</p><p>Though it idly occurred to her that Lilith might be able to explain how it works to her too. Eda had managed to teach her so many things, and she really loved her mentor. But when it came to explaining the technical hows and whys of magic, she kinda phoned it in at times.</p><p>Would it be selfish to want Lilith to stay, just so she could have another magical teacher?</p><p>“So, we kicking Lilith to the curb or what?”</p><p>“Gyah! King?!” Luz nearly jumped out of her skin, when the little demon popped his head over her shoulder again. Clasping her hands in front of her and taking in a few steadying breaths, it took her a moment to put things together “Hold on...were you listening earlier?”</p><p>“Luz, it's me. Of course, I was listening.” King replied in a tone that said the answer should have been obvious.</p><p>“Oh...” The young witch replied as more of a sigh. Letting out a puff of air and slumping forward some, she looked back over her shoulder to the little demon “...I don't really know what to think of all that, King.”</p><p>“I'll tell you what you should be thinking, Luz!” King declared, before tapping her on the nose lightly. Gesturing back to himself as he leaned back “You should be thinking of all the ways you can string Lilith along and get her to do stuff for you.”</p><p>“I don't really want to string anyone along, King.”</p><p>“Oh, come on! Think of all the power we could wield through her! We could build an empire!” King declared, as he propped himself up Luz' shoulder to declare that to the world.</p><p>“I don't think we're going to be wielding much of anything through Lilith. She lost her magic too, remember?” Luz patiently reminded her little friend.</p><p>“Oh, right...” The little demon replied with a blink. Bringing a finger to his chin in consideration, he eventually gave a shrug “Eh, she could still make for a pretty good servant.”</p><p>“I don't really think this is that kind of situation, King.”</p><p>“Any situation can lead to blackmail if you play your cards right.” King replied with confidence, as he crossed his little arms and held his head up high.</p><p>“...It might not be the worst thing to have a role model other than Eda around.” Luz conceded with a furrowed brow for the conniving demon.</p><p>“Pfft! Like Lilith doesn't know about blackmail.”</p><p>Luz didn't really have a good response for that, as she once again found herself weighing the pros-and-cons of having Lilith around. There were a lot of issues to consider for a question like that. To say nothing of the major ones, like Lilith having held her hostage in the past or the question of what Eda might want.</p><p>“Whatever you do...see if you can't squeeze a somber, heartfelt apology out of her for me.” King eventually said, as Luz started to skip back to the patch of hanging moss from before. He soon slunk back down into Luz' hood, until he was snuggled in comfortably again “I might not show it, but I'm pretty sure I have all kinds of emotional damage.”</p><p>“Maybe you could talk to Francois about it?” Luz offered her little friend, recalling his favorite stuffed bunny, as she moved to the patch of moss that Eda and Lilith had pass under.</p><p>“I don't think I could put such an emotional burden on to Francois. Not after what happened at boot camp...” King somberly said, letting his head droop down. A moment later he perked up, and spoke with a grin in his voice “Plus, he can be super judgmental, and I don't want to look weak in front of my top henchman.”</p><p>“Kinda wish I wasn't having to deal with an emotional burden right now...”</p><p>“Eh, maybe Eda's friend can help?” King offered, with a little more sympathy this time around.</p><p>“I hope so.” Luz agreed easily, before pushing her way through the brush.</p><p>The experience was a subtle one, as there were no sparkles or lights or other signs of overt magic, which made sense. A witch that was trying to hide out probably wouldn't want a light show popping up at her doorstep every time someone entered. It also went on for a little longer than she would have expected, feeling as if she was wandering through a small tunnel of roots and packed dirt.</p><p>It was a breath of fresh air, figuratively and literally, when Luz finally stepped out on the other side.</p><p>“Maravillosa...”</p><p>It was almost like she'd stepped into an entirely different part of the isle, as she found herself wandering into the open clearing. The canopy up above was much less ominous and allowed more sunlight to creep down to illuminate the area. While not exactly dry, much of the mud was replaced by low-lying grasses and flowers. There were flowering plants interwoven among the trees making them seem far less imposing.</p><p>Even the small, flitting bugs and critters seemed more colorful and mild-mannered than before.</p><p>Taking up the middle of this enchanting little spot, there seemed to be a still pond with what looked to be a modestly sized rock at its center. This pond, in turn, seemed to be the main point of interest for the two older witches.</p><p>“There you are!” Eda declared, as she turned back to take in the sight of her apprentice's arrival. Leaning against her staff, she planted a hand against her hip “I was starting to wonder if were about to have a repeat of the Slitherbeast incident.”</p><p>“This place is beautiful!” Luz finally exclaimed, as she capered into the clearing and spun around to take it all in. Letting her hands flop to her side, before looking back up to Eda “Is this really the same swamp?”</p><p>“Yeah, Leithi's gotta pretty nice set-up out here.” The Owl Lady conceded, as she panned her own gaze around the area. Gesturing with a hand, she brought it to rest on her hip “I dunno though. Feels like you could get a few lawn gnomes in here to really bring the whole place together.”</p><p>“You can get lawn gnomes in the Boiling Isle?”</p><p>“You can, but it's a nightmare trying to schedule an appointment.” Lilith offhandedly mentioned, as she took this time to try to swipe some of the mud off of her robes. Looking back up, she gestured towards Luz “And their guild reps aren't above trying to squeeze favors out of well-connected clients.”</p><p>“Oh, so when you say lawn gnomes...” Luz pointed her fingers back-and-forth as she put things together. Visibly thinking about something, she brought her hands up to wave around the top of her head “So...do they still have the pointy hats?”</p><p>“If they're properly certified.” The raven-haired witch replied, as if it was very much a mundane topic.</p><p>“I still don't get why it's such a big deal if they want to wear floppy hats. If they want to clean up my yard, who am I to stop them?” Eda opined, as she held out her arms.</p><p>“I don't know, Eda. All I know is that the lawn gnomes I've talked to about it, take it very seriously.” Lilith replied tiredly, apparently not eager to dive into the issue of lawn gnome certifications.</p><p>“Huh. I guess gnomes take mowing the lawn pretty seriously.” Luz noted from the side.</p><p>“So, where's this witch we're supposed to be looking for?” King eventually piped up, clambering back out onto his favorite human's shoulder again. Holding out a paw towards their surroundings “Cause I didn't just spend hours walking through a swamp just to go sightseeing.”</p><p>“You didn't spend hours walking through a swamp. You've barely walked anywhere at all today.” Lilith was quick to point out.</p><p>“Yeah, that's what I just said. I <em>didn't</em> just spend hours walking through a swamp. Try to keep up, Lils.” The little demon quickly waved off the older witch's comment.</p><p>“Alright, alright, just give me a second here...” Eda told King with a wave of her hand, as she began panning her gaze across the ground. Quickly leaning down, she snagged up a small rock, before waving the others to follow her “Come on. I'll show you the doorbell.”</p><p>“Doorbell?” Luz asked, as she skipped after mentor to keep up.</p><p>“Yeah, if you like Leithi's front yard, you're gonna love this, kid.” Her mentor confidently declared, as she lead the group over to the small pond at the center of the clearing.</p><p>“Oooh! Is it another ritual?” Her apprentice excitedly asked, as she followed after, clenching her hands in front of her hoping to see more of that kind of magic.</p><p>“Eh-ehh, you could call it that.” Eda said in a playfully evasive tone, as she tilted her head back and forth, before passing her staff over to Luz for safekeeping.</p><p>“How does it work? Do you need to use a spell for it? Are you going to need Owlbert for this” Luz started to pepper her with questions, as her gaze darted to-and-from the staff.</p><p>“Alright, alright. Just watch carefully this first time, cause it can be pretty complicated.” The owl witch told her favorite student. Giving a few experimental tosses of the stone she found, Eda pointed out to the small stone sitting in the middle of the pond “Alright...so you see that rock out there?”</p><p>“Uh-huh.”</p><p>“And you see the creepy little skull sitting on top of it?”</p><p>“...Oh, yeah. I see it.” Luz agreed after turning her eyes over to the small stone.</p><p>Sure enough, there was a small, weathered skull sitting on the rock at the center of pond. It looked humanoid from what she could tell, but in the Boiling Isles that didn't necessarily mean much. From a distance it looked like the skull might have had something scrawled across it's top. But it could have easily just been built up grime or algae. It did seem a little out of place, with how otherwise pleasant and bright the clearing was.</p><p>Though, thinking back to her previous conversation with Lilith about how Oracle track witches worked, it kinda made sense.</p><p>“Now, pay close attention. Cause I'm only gonna show you this once.” Eda warned.</p><p>“Ohhhh, are we about to summon up a spirit?” Luz asked, thinking that perhaps her mentor might have a bit more expertise in the field of Oracle magic than she'd been lead to believe.</p><p>“That...is exactly what we're doing.” The Owl Lady said with a grin, before whipping the small stone out into the center of the pond.</p><p>Tonk! Ker-plunk!</p><p>It wasn't so much a spell, as it was Eda just pelting the skull with a rock. All together, not quite the display of magical prowess that Luz might have been hoping for. Really, it was a little bit anticlimactic, as the stone skipped off the top of the skull and plopped into the water.</p><p>“Give it a second...” Eda reassured her young apprentice, as she watched from the side.</p><p>“...Give what a second?” Luz eventually asked, as she looked up to her mentor in confusion.</p><p>“Huh...maybe he's asleep.” The owl witch conceded after a couple more seconds. Bringing her hands up to cup around her mouth, she took in a deep-breath before shouting out over the pond “Hey, Julie! You got visitors! Get your butt out here!”</p><p>“Julie?” Lilith asked from the side, her eyebrow creeping up at the strange name.</p><p>“Ah, it's just this friendly little nickname between-”</p><p>Eda didn't get a chance to finish her explanation, before the light seemed to fade from the clearing, allowing an unnatural dusk to settle over the group of witches. The trees seemed to creak and the leaves above rattled as a cold breeze passed through the clearing. The lingering ripples in the water of the pond seemed to still, as two green pinpricks of fire lit-up the eyeholes of the skull at its center.</p><p>“Uh, Eda...Is this normal?” King called out a bit anxiously.</p><p>She didn't get a chance to respond, as the waters at the center of pond started to bubble and roil around the skull, which itself had started to levitate itself into the air. The light in its eyes growing brighter, till it looked like a pair of green candle flames danced in its eye sockets, as it glowered out at the visitors. It was almost a relief to be out from under that gaze, as the water began to splash and dark objects started to emerge and form up around the hovering skull.</p><p>“Nyeh!” King cried out at this point, before ducking back into Luz' hoodie, even as Luz couldn't help but stare.</p><p>Soon, the shadowy objects emerging out of the pond started to resolve themselves into different shapes, with roots and vines seeming to mingle with an old shroud. The skull once more rose to the top of this magically put together form, it's eyes still burning. A dripping, ragged old cloak seemed to wrap around the core of its body, concealing whatever might lie beneath. From the sides hung two gnarled looking arms, clutching at the air and seemingly formed from twisted roots. There was nothing below that, as it seemed to hover in the air over its former resting place.</p><p>“Whoa...not a normal ghost...” Luz blurted out as she stared up in awe at the imposing figure.</p><p>“Edalyn Clawthorne...” A deep, otherworldy voice seemed to emanate from the skull, even as the dancing green flames seemed to flare at the name.</p><p>Eda, unsurprisingly, was not the least bit intimidated by any of this, her hands planted at her hips and her smile not wavering.</p><p>“And there we go!” The Owl Lady declared, before turning back to the others and gesturing towards the ominous, floating specter “I present to you, Leithi's doorbell.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First off, let me just say I'm so sorry for the long delay with the update. Some stuff in real-life came up, threw a wrench into everything, and really killed my writing momentum. Hopefully, I'll be getting back on track again after this.</p><p>Anyway, with that said, this one was a challenge to write in some parts. So it wasn't entirely real-life that made this take so long. Hopefully, it's up to the same quality as my first chapter; it can be kinda hard to tell when you're the one writing it.</p><p>Anyway, as always, I welcome any and all comments and questions. And as per usual, I'll be doing some editing passes and the like over the next few days.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright, so as I mentioned elsewhere, I had an idea for a little Post-Season One story. Obviously, I'm taking some liberties here with the magic and the setting; most of these ideas probably won't survive past the Season 2 debut. But I think they're fun and I think we all are going to need an Owl House fix between now and then.</p><p>This will probably be a fairly short story, no more than...let's say 4 to 6 chapters of around this length, I think. We'll see though.</p><p>It's mostly going to center around Lilith being a part of the crew and trying to deal with all of the emotional tension there, as you can probably tell from this first chapter. And I was really curious about the idea of rogue witches other than Eda, Luz, and now Lilith. So I thought, why not write one? They'll be making an appearance in the next chapter.</p><p>Also, sorry to disappoint, but there won't be any real Lumity in this story. I love the pairing as much as the next fan, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. If anyone needs a Lumity fix though, they can checkout my other Owl House story 'Teatime'.</p><p>As always, I appreciate any interest and I'll try to respond to any comments and questions promptly. Also, you can expect me to make a few more editing passes to correct typos and tighten things up here and there. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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